The Obsidian Temple
by pathetic-really
Summary: One day, while running from a angry mob, Naruto stumbled onto a strange statue. The discovery of the statue reveals an ancient Jashinist temple and the temple holds a blood-stained priest that could change his life. PERMANENT HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Me no own shit**

**Chapter 1**

**Revised: 8/25/12**

**The Obsidian Temple**

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the forest floor with golden splotches of light. The sky visible from between the leaves was a clear blue, unblemished by clouds. Bird calls echoed through the trees and the wind blew softly through the trees. For most citizens of Konoha it was a peaceful day like many others. But for one blue eyed, blonde haired orphan the day had quickly become a nightmare.

Naruto ran as fast as he could through the forest, trying desperately to stay ahead of the enraged mob chasing him. _'I gotta get away from these guys, I don't even wanna think about what'll happen if they catch me!', _he ducked under a low hanging branch, _'It's the middle of the day! Why hasn't the Old Man sent anyone to stop this?!' _He twisted to the right to go around a tree, tripped over a root and went flying through a clump of bushes. Before he could fully process what was happening he was tumbling down a bank.

He bounced hard off the ground once, twice, three times and crashed into tree. He picked himself off the ground with a groan and looked around. He had collided with a tree at the edge of a small clearing. The trees in this area had grown in closer together and they cast the clearing completely into shadow. A statue stood in the middle of the clearing, its base completely covered in creeping ivy.

The statue was enthralling and Naruto approached it, forgetting about his pursuers as he studied it. It was about 5 ½ feet tall, made of shiny, black stone and depicted a regal looking man clad in robes. What appeared to be a rosary hung around his neck, and he was holding a scepter in one hand and a scythe in the other. The statue gave off a strange feeling of power and the air around it was cooler, as if it had sucked out the warmth.

"WHERE DID THAT LITTLE DEMON GO?!"

The drunken roar snapped Naruto abruptly out of his reverie. He cast his eyes around desperately, looking for an escape route when he noticed something intriguing. The symbol hanging from the rosary (a triangle inside a circle) looked slightly more worn then the rest of the statue.

'_No way, that stuff only happens in movies. Right?'_

He stepped up to the statue, feeling surreal and ran his fingers over the cool black stone. He dug his fingertips into the grooves of the symbol and pulled down as hard as he could. Nothing happened, and he laid his hand flat against the symbol and pushed. Again, nothing happened and, feeling frustrated, he began to pull the symbol in different directions and to his surprise, when he pulled to the right, the symbol rotated with a slight whirring sound. The symbol locked in place with a solid thunk as the triangle became inverted. There was a brief moment of silence and then a near silent whoosh as a section of ground behind the statue opened up, revealing a set of obsidian stairs that led into a dark abyss.

"HE'S AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE I KNOW IT!"

The drunken roar was even closer than before and, panicked, Naruto quickly began to descend the stairs, feeling the temperature drop a little with every step. About ten steps down he reached a landing that was dimly illuminated by a faint ethereal white-blue light. His eyes were immediately drawn to the chain hanging from the wall, and without hesitation he pulled it, causing the section of ground to slide back into place, leaving the ethereal glow as the only illumination.

* * *

Naruto slumped, weak limbed, against the wall and slid slowly to the floor; giving in to the thoughts that had been plaguing him since the mob began chasing him. '_Why do they hate me so much? What did I do that was so wrong? Am I really a demon? Maybe I should give them what they want, maybe I should just die, no one would miss me.' _ Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a dull training kunai he had stolen from the academy and held it against his wrist. _' one good slash and I could be free, no more hateful glares, no more drunks trying to kill me in my sleep' _ He lifted the kunai and tilted it slightly, staring at the distorted blue eye reflected back at him, _' no one trying to hurt me. I'd be completely free from those bastards'_ he pressed the kunai against his wrist and increased the pressure until he felt it break the skin. He tensed his muscles, preparing to rip the blade across his wrist when a faint voice came drifting up the staircase to his left, making him pause as he strained his ears to hear what was being said. It sounded almost like….praying?

Curious, Naruto lifted the kunai from his wrist and stood, ignoring the blood trickling down his hand from his already healing wrist. He dropped the kunai to the floor and took off down the steep and winding staircase. The further down the stairs he went the colder it got and the white-blue glow became stronger, but to his bafflement the voice remained indistinct and muffled, and as he reached the foot of the staircase the cause of this strange phenomenon became apparent. A set of story high double doors, engraved with the same symbol as the statue outside, blocked his path.

Naruto stopped and stared at the doors, as a feeling of unease slithered its way into his stomach and urged him to retreat up the staircase and leave this strange place behind. But his curiosity and a voice in the back of his mind urged him to continue and after a brief internal war he took a step forward and pushed the doors open.

The chamber beyond the door had a ceiling so high that it disappeared into shadows and was roughly 150 yards wide. A statue, two stories tall, was directly across from the double doors and depicted the same regal looking man as the statue outside seated on a throne holding a scepter in one clenched fist and a weight scale resting on the open palm of the other hand. With a jolt Naruto realized that the statues eyes were emitting the strange ethereal light. A pale man with disheveled silver hair was standing in front of the throne, and as Naruto watched from the shadow of the doorway, he shouted gleefully "Jashin-sama! I offer you my blood and pain for your honor and glory!" and rammed a three foot long spike through his chest and promptly collapsed. Naruto stood in a deep state of shock that only intensified as he heard the man resume talking as if there wasn't a spike through his chest. "Jashin-sama please accept this offering as penance for breaking your sacred tenants, and for not—" _' how the hell is that possible! Wait, if I had that kind of power everyone would HAVE to acknowledge me, there's no way that they could overlook something like that"_

"Hey how the HELL are you still alive?" Naruto interjected, giving voice to his thoughts.

The man's head whipped around and slightly crazed violet eyes locked onto Naruto. "Who the fuck are you? How the hell did you get in here?," the man stumbled to his feet and ripped the spike from his chest, "eh, don't answer, it doesn't fucking matter anyway, I'm gonna sacrifice your ass to Jashin-sama!" he laughed, an unbalanced and manic sound, and began to walk towards Naruto, licking his blood from the spike as he did so.

"Wait! Will you teach me how to do that?" Naruto said hurriedly

The man stopped in his tracks and cocked his head to the side, "you…wanna…convert?" he asked uncertainly. It had been awhile since Hidan had converted anyone, lately he had been forgetting to ask, no one ever said yes anyway.

"If I convert will you teach me that immortality thing?" Naruto asked, glad the silver haired man had stopped his manic advance.

The man appeared to ignore his question as he turned 180 degrees on the spot and yelled "Aijin, get your ass in here! NOW!" a moment of silence passed and a young woman, clad in layered white and red robes stepped out of a shadowed doorway. As soon as she was in sight the man resumed "We have a new convert, take care of him, while I finish my damn prayers"

"Hai, Hidan-san but we won't be able to do the official conversion today, we don't have the necessary amount of believers present" she replied in a neutral voice as she beckoned with one black nailed hand for Naruto to approach her. Naruto walked towards her warily. Normally he was fairly good at reading someone's eyes to see their intentions, but this woman's ebony colored bangs covered her eyes making her unreadable.

"Follow me, we will talk when we reach the athenaeum"

She turned and began to walk back down the hall she had emerged from, her feet making no noise on the black stone. Naruto followed apprehensively, doing his best to hold in all the questions rolling around in his head, but seriously what the hell was an athenaeum? That question was answered as they stepped through a door at the end of the hall and entered a large library. The library was huge, a twelve foot high ceiling, walls covered with bookshelves that stretched from floor to ceiling and were crammed with books and scrolls. Several large tables sat near the middle of the room and they were illuminated by stone lanterns that held balls of the ethereal blue light. As soon as the woman, Aijin Naruto thought she was called, took a seat at one of the tables he began to rapid fire all his pent up questions at her.

"Who is Jashin? What is this place? Who was that guy out there? And how in the hell is he still alive after that?...and what did he mean convert?" He added as an afterthought.

"Calm, Naruto-san I will answer your questions. Don't look so surprised that I know your name. I have had to travel into Konoha for provisions before, I have seen how you're treated, it is good that you found us." She smiled warmly and brushed ebony bangs out of her slate-grey eyes. "Now to answer your questions in order: Jashin-sama is the God of Domination, this place is the Obsidian Temple, the Jashinist temple of Fire Country, that guy was Hidan, the High-Priest of this temple, he is one of the most zealous and devout Jashinist I have ever met. He is alive because Jashin-sama has given him immortality, something he only grants to his most faithful. And by convert he meant become a follower of Lord Jashin."

"But what does that mean, like what would I have to do?" Naruto asked. He was perplexed, this woman had said that she had seen how the village had treated him but she was still being kind to him. Was it possible that there was someone who didn't think he was demon?

"Well you would have to undergo the conversion ceremony which I am forbidden to discuss with non-believers. But if you were to convert, it is essential that you realize that you will not be immediately immortal, there are many rituals to be undertaken before Jashin grants his Great Gift to you. But the basic tenants are relatively simple," her voice changed slightly in pitch here and Naruto could tell she was reciting something, "it is blaspheme to do any less than utterly obliterate your enemy for they are weak and Jashin demands tribute made from their blood, pain, and fear. Give your respect to your superiors, for they could destroy you without thought, until you have achieved the power necessary to send them into the Abyss, Never raise your hand against fellow believers, for they are your family in blood and faith. And pity the non-believer for their ignorance and arrogance have gained Jashin's displeasure and he will cast them into the fire's of damnation."

"So," she finished, dipping her hand into her pocket and pulling out an ebony rosary with the Jashinist symbol hanging from it and holding it out to Naruto, "Will you convert and escape the pain of being alone?"

The decision was a no brainer. For as long as he could remember he had been wishing for a person that would see him as him and not a 'demon' or 'monster'. And here was this woman who had been kind to him and was offering an escape from the loneliness that had been plaguing him since he could remember. Without hesitation he reached out for the necklace.

* * *

Aijin smiled as Naruto hung the rosary around his neck. "Now then, there are a few things that every convert needs to know, if you'll indulge me another lecture"

Naruto nodded and fixed her with a studious look as he fingered the rosary absent-mindedly.

"Now then, just some basic information; there is one temple or sanctuary in each country and each has its own security measures to prevent people from stumbling upon it. Each temple or sanctuary is made from a different stone or material, for example the Land of Earth is home to the Marble temple, and the Land of Swamps has the Willow Sanctuary. There are two permanent residents to each building; the High-Priest, who trains converts and is essentially in charge and the Keeper who watches the building and sees to its upkeep. I am the Keeper for this temple, and after your conversion you are to call me Mistress, to do any less would be considered a great insult. Now, each High-Priest is a member of the High Council, this council meets once a year. These meetings are overseen by the Elder, who is chosen by Jashin himself to be the figurehead of His religion. When Jashin calls the Elder into the Abyss, the council meets and elects a new leader to serve temporarily until Jashin picks another Elder. The current Elder is a man named Itami Eruda who, in addition to being the youngest Elder ever, is so devout he makes Hidan-san look like a heathen."

She paused for a bit to allow Naruto to absorb this information before continuing:

"Now this is important; even though we serve Lord Jashin the god of domination and destruction, we are not the blood-thirsty monsters some heathens claim we are; we do not kill children, we don't eat babies, we don't slaughter without reason. Our Lord's teachings are often misunderstood and as a result the ignorant hate and persecute us."

Naruto nodded, a sense of kinship welling up in his chest as he thought of the unfair persecution they had both undergone, before asking the question that had been picking at the back if his mind since Aijin had begun her lecture.

"But uh, what is the convergence ritual that you mentioned earlier, like you are gonna tell me right?"

Aijin smiled again and brushed a hand through her short ebony hair "Of course, how could I have forgotten? The convergence ritual is fairly simple: it requires 4 believers (which is why we couldn't do it today) to give a small amount of blood for you to ingest and you give a small amount of blood for them to ingest. This act is called the Bloodletting Ceremony and only happens during the most intimate of ceremonies. After the Bloodletting is finished the High Priest uses his blood to fill Jashin's Blood Seal, which is engraved upon the atrium's floor and you lay on an alter in the middle of it. The three believers will recite the Demise passage from the Scroll of Ceremony while the High Priest takes the Ritual blade and plunges it into your heart. Then the Rebirth passage is recited and you are reborn as a servant of Jashin."

Naruto jumped to his feet, panic flaring in his chest, and he began to back away "WHAT! You want to kill me? What the hell is wrong with you people? Nothing can bring back the dead! Iruka-sensei said so! No way, nu-uh I'm not doing this!"

"Naruto," Aijin spoke in a hard voice that caused Naruto to pause in his attempt to back out the door, "use your head, you have seen Lord Jashin keep Hidan-san alive after ramming a spike through his chest. Is it that far-fetched that He can revive the dead?" This gave Naruto a pause as he thought it through, it made a twisted sort of sense, and although he was still incredibly apprehensive about the whole ritual, he stopped his attempt to escape.

"We all went through this," Aijin said, her voice softening and returning to its neutral tone, "I was utterly terrified at the thought of my Convergence Ceremony, but I have the scars to show I survived and you'll survive as well," She smiled comfortingly and stood. "Now the gates to your village close in a half-an-hour so I'm afraid we have to cut this short."

Naruto nodded to show he understood and followed Aijin back through the temple, up the staircase and to the landing in a daze. He left with a simple good-bye and walked back to the village and his apartment, struggling to absorb all he had learned. It seemed surreal that earlier that day he had been running from a mob and wondering if he would every find a person who would accept him and now he was being offered a chance to have everything he had longed for. As he lay in his rundown bed that night and struggled to fall asleep he made his decision, he would take the risk; he would put his trust in Aijin's word, seeing as he had nothing to lose. After all if it didn't pan out he would be free from Konoha's hate; but if it did indeed work, he would finally have people who acknowledged him.

* * *

If Naruto had any lingering doubts about attempting the ritual, they were erased when he woke up the next morning and realized that someone had thrown a bottle filled with what smelled like gasoline through his window. The homemade explosive may have been a dud but the message was perfectly clear, and with a sigh Naruto grabbed a dirty shirt from underneath his bed and used it to soak up the noxious smelling fluid. He glanced at the duct-tape ridden alarm clock on the chipped plastic floor and uttered another sigh; he didn't have time for breakfast if he wanted to make it to the Academy on time. He pulled on a clean-ish grey colored shirt from the cardboard box he employed as a dresser and tucked his new rosary into it so that it rested as a comforting weight near his heart. He exited his apartment, not bothering to lock the flimsy door behind him as he set off towards the Academy.

The school day was entirely unremarkable and Naruto spent it in a bored daze that was only interrupted by brief bouts of anxiety over the ritual he was going to undertake. Over the course of the day, the anxiety gave way to nervous energy that made his skin tingle and his fingers twitch. When Iruka finally dismissed the class Naruto was gone in a flash, moving so fast that he appeared to be a yellow and grey blur racing through the village.

15 minutes later a winded Naruto stood in front of the Temple's double doors, gripping his rosary in a clenched fist and taking deep, calming breaths. He glanced back at the stairs, and thought briefly about going back to his apartment and forgetting all this. But the broken bottle of gasoline flashed into mind and, decision made, he pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

In the middle of the Temple's atrium stood four figures, dressed in deep grey robes with bronze trimming that dragged on the ground and ended at the knuckles of their hands. The deep hoods completely covered their faces in shadow, leaving the believers to be identified by height and by the fact the tallest one was smoking a cigarette.

"About damn time, new blood, get over here and let's get this done, I have afternoon prayers to do." Hidan's voice issued from the hood of the second tallest robed figure. He gestured for Naruto to step up to the alter that had been erected in the middle of Blood Seal. On top of the alter, sat a chalice made of ebony, adorned with a ruby inlay in the shape of Jashin's holy symbol, and a wickedly sharp-looking dagger with a serrated blade gleamed in the light of the 17 thick black candles sitting along the base of the statue.

As Naruto took his place, the tallest robed figure stepped forward, picked up the dagger and gestured silently for Naruto to hold his hand over the chalice. He then grabbed Naruto's wrist and twisted it so his hand was palm up. Naruto stood still, shaking slightly from fear and anticipation, as he remembered Aijin's description of the Bloodletting Ceremony. He winced at the sharp, burning pain of his palm being sliced apart, and watched in morbid fascination as the crimson liquid, black in the half-light, dripped into the chalice. The man released Naruto's wrist and held his own freshly cut and heavily bleeding hand over the chalice, and after several seconds he replaced the dagger onto the altar and stepped aside to allow the next figure to approach and give blood. When all present had given blood, the four robed figures began to pass around the chalice and take deep draughts from it while reciting in unison:

"Newly blooded brother,

In blood and faith you are now bound to us,

You are bound to our traditions,

You are bound to our temples,

You are bound to our tenants,

Drink of this cup, and take your place among Jashin's faithful."

Naruto gulped as the chalice was pressed into his hands and the metallic scent of blood invaded his nostrils. He stared into the contents of the chalice and gulped once, throat audibly clicking, thoughts racing _'if I do this there's no turning back, am I sure, absolutely sure, that I want to do this?' _He glanced up at the robed figures standing in front of him and shortest one (Aijin, he assumed) nodded encouragingly. A strange warm feeling welled in his chest _'what is this warm feeling? Is this what it feels like to be wanted, to be accepted?' _another of the robed figures nodded and Naruto thought that the person beneath the hood was smiling; the warm feeling in his chest intensified tenfold. He lifted the chalice to his lips and took a deep breath through his nose to calm himself, before draining what was left in the goblet. The warm, cloying copper tasting liquid slid thickly down his throat and he almost retched as his throat seemed to lock. He swallowed hard and the feeling passed. The chalice was then removed from his grip by the shortest of the robed figures and placed at the foot of the throne.

"Convert, lay upon the alter" Hidan said (obviously speaking ceremonial rites since he wasn't cursing like a drunken sailor), as he shed his robes and reverently lifted the Ceremonial blade from its position between the feet of the statue. The Ceremonial blade looked like a larger version of the Bloodletting dagger and Naruto's eyes were unwillingly drawn to it's jagged edges as Hidan took his position at the edge of the Blood Seal. He waited until Naruto had climbed onto and laid back on the numbingly cold altar before continuing.

"Jashin-sama, as High Priest of this temple I offer you my blood to gain your favor for this convert"

The 3 other Jashinists began to recite something, but it faded into background noise as Naruto watched Hidan slam the Ceremonial blade through his stomach, his blood beginning to trickle out of the wound. The channels engraved on the floor filled quickly with the priest's blood and Hidan pulled the blade slowly from his stomach and advanced towards the altar, un-mindful of the blood now pouring freely from his abdomen. Hidan stopped in front of him and raised the blade; Naruto fought against every instinct in his body and stayed put, eyes locked on the blade. There was a brief second where the entire world was frozen and mute, and then the blade descended, glinting dully in the low light. Naruto felt a crushing, all consuming pain in his chest and then…Nothing.

Naruto squinted his still closed eyes as he tried, futilely, to block out the orange light filtering through his eyelids _'wait orange…what the hell? And why is it so hot? Oh no, please don't let me be dead, please don't let this be hell'_ He sat up slowly, reluctantly opening his eyes and bracing himself to see what had become of him.

Awe overwhelmed him and he knew his jaw was hanging open, but couldn't bring himself to care. He was on top of a ziggurat made of a bronze colored metal that reached hundreds of feet upwards toward the deep orange sky. A throne sat in the middle of the plateau and the man sitting on it was the most intimidating person Naruto had ever seen. The man was clad in black armor, adorned with white markings resembling a skeleton, and was of average stature, with extremely pale skin, shoulder length black hair, and ethereal white-blue eyes. He wasn't very imposing psychically, but the aura he projected spoke of a power that could kill you as easily as swatting a gnat.

"Naruto Uzumaki," the man spoke in a soft, hollow voice that echoed in Naruto's head and caused him to shiver involuntarily. "Soon I will retake what was once mine. Become strong, for I have uses for you." There was a slight pause as the man observed Naruto predatorily upper lip lifting in a sneer that revealed razor sharp teeth, before continuing, "Do not disappoint me child, for my wrath far outweighs my amnesty"

Naruto opened his mouth to ask a question, what that question would be he had no idea, but before he could utter a sound a sharp pain ripped through his chest and he jolted upright, shivering in the suddenly cold air and straining his eyes to see in the ethereal light of the Temple.

* * *

**Revisions made: added detail and just generally tried to make the chapters better**

**How'd the revision go? Reviews appreciated.**

P.S. this is the original three chapters combined so the numbering for chapters is gonna be messed up, but don't freak all the chapters are still there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Me no own shit**

**A/N: thanks everyone who took the time to read and especially to everyone who took the time to review.**

**Chapter 2**

**Revised: 8/25/12**

Naruto lay on the floor of the training room and tried to ignore the constant aching of his body. The last nine hours of his life had been grueling and he frowned as he thought back over the day. Not only had it been a skill check day at the Academy, afterwards he had rushed to the Temple to see if he could get to know the two believers that had participated in his convergence last night but had disappeared before he had regained his senses. Almost as soon as he stepped into the atrium Hidan had stopped him and dragged him into the Temple's large training room. Apparently someone had been observing him at the Academy that afternoon and seen his abysmal skill tests earlier in the day. Of course, Hidan had decided that he was going to take it upon himself to improve Naruto's skills, starting with kunai training and, unfortunately for Naruto, his idea of kunai training was to play dodge ball…with kunai.

Naruto had thought Hidan was joking before he had given Naruto a few tips to improve his accuracy ("Your feet are too far apart dumbass, your releasing too early in your throw, I don't even wanna know what the hell that was supposed to be") and then handed over several freshly sharpened kunai and said "Hope you have some damn good reflexes. 'Cause I'm not going easy on you"

The next two hours were brutal on Naruto's already tired body, he had avoided being skewered on any of Hidan's lightening fast kunai by less than an inch, but had still ended up with scratches and shallow cuts all over his body. He had managed to hit Hidan once however. The priest had twisted his body to avoid one kunai and had been struck in the side by Naruto's hastily thrown follow-up. After trying for several minutes to stem the flow of blood he had decided to use the blood in his afternoon ritual and concluded the training. Which brought Naruto up to the present, lying on the cold stone floor, cuts all over his body, and mentally repeating some of the more colorful swears he had heard Hidan utter over the course of the day.

"Damn runt, you look even worse than you did last night"

Naruto grumbled internally and twisted his head to see the owner of the unfamiliar voice. The speaker was tall and lanky with sorrowful brown eyes and spiky light blue hair. He was wearing a grey jacket, reminiscent of a ship captains, and was grinning down at Naruto, lit cigarette dangling from one corner of his mouth.

"Yeah well, you'd look like this too if you spent the last two hours playing kunai dodge ball with Hidan-san" Naruto retorted

"Are you kidding," the older boy chuckled, "I helped sempai invent that game" he grabbed Naruto by the back of his tattered shirt and hefted him to his feet, "I'm Shitai by the way."

"I'm Naruto. And you helped Hidan-san invent that psychotic game? How in the hell do you find that fun?"

"I'm masochistic," he deadpanned and then chuckled as Naruto sweat dropped, "nah, I'm just messin' with you. But seriously you look like you need to eat, you wanna go grab something?"

"Alright, but from where?"

Shitai smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, (Naruto noticed that a rosary was wrapped around his wrist), "I…have no idea, It's been a couple years since I've been in the village"

"Really? Where have you been? Here in the temple?"

"No not here, I've been searching for—"

"He's been searching for the mythical Saisho no Jiin" a soft and rather androgynous voice broke in.

"It's not mythical, Waruku you damn she-male!" Shitai exclaimed sounding playfully mad

Naruto turned to look at the newcomer whose appearance was even more androgynous than their voice. They were clad in a white kimono and had long brunette hair that covered most of their face (think Samara from The Ring)

"Uh, what is Saisho no Jiin?" Naruto spoke up, disrupting the two's faux argument over whether Waruku was a he or a she.

"Eh, I'll tell you over food, Waruku is gonna show us a place" Shitai said smiling happily

Naruto smiled back, Shitai's good mood was contagious and a welcome change from Hidan's angry temperament or Aijin's passive one.

As it turned out, Waruku and Shitai were actually good friends despite their constant bickering. And as Waruku lead them to the restaurant, a secluded barbeque restaurant on the outskirts of Konoha's red light district, Naruto learned a decent amount about the two. They were both 18 and had both converted around the same time. Even though he learned a lot of miscellaneous info about the two; the one thing Naruto hadn't learned was whether or not Waruku was a boy or a girl, his curious nature had made him ask of course, but the answer he got was…unhelpful at best.

_Flashback:_

_Naruto studied Waruku out of the corner of his eye. The slightly baggy kimono hid most of their figure, so that would be no help. Facial features wouldn't help either since they were mostly covered by hair, voice could be deceiving too. With a sigh Naruto realized he would have to just flat out-ask and hope that Waruku didn't react to questions like Sakura-chan, he really didn't feel like getting hit right now._

"_Uh Waruku-san can I ask you a question? _

"_Sure thing Naru-chan, oh and just call me Waruku"_

"_HEY DON'T CALL ME NARU-CHAN I'M NOT A GIRL!"._

"_But your adorable like one" Waruku said chuckling_

"_Grrr,"_

"_So what was your question?"_

"_Are you a boy or a girl?" Naruto asked, quickly stepping back to get out of smacking range in case Waruku tried anything. _

"_Depends on the day." Waruku said calmly, laughing when Naruto's eyes went wide and he fell over from shock._

_End Flashback_

After they had sat down in the pleasantly lit back room of the barbeque restaurant and given the waitress their order, Shitai lit a fresh cigarette, blew the smoke out his nose dragon style and asked:

"So, Naruto you still wanna know what Saisho no Jiin is?"

He nodded and Shitai began speaking in a lecture-y voice that reminded him of Iruka-sensei.

"Well back when I was about your age, I had this huge and I mean HUGE crush on Aijin-hime. So I decided to impress her by reading a bunch of stuff in the library since she's always in there, ya know? So I was going through all these books, looking for something obscure, something rare and I found this book called _The First Empire_, written by this guy called Yogen-sha—

"Who was a mad-man even by our messed up standards"

"Shut up Waruku," Shitai responded absentmindedly and flicked ash from his cigarette, "Anyway this guy was around back when the shinobi villages were formed and he was a historian for the Order, his writings were intriguing. Like I hated reading and I still couldn't put the book down, even though it was 6 inches thick. But according to the book, before the shinobi villages were formed Jashin had an empire, with only one temple, the Saisho no Jiin, the first temple. It was based on this island somewhere off the coast of Water Country. And once the island was secure the Jashinists started to expand, taking over most of the islands and a lot of the countries that now have minor shinobi villages in them. Anyway just after the Villages were formed, the Kages decided that anything that was a threat to their power had to go. They started to take down everyone, non-affiliated shinobi, samurai clans, mercenary nin, and then they started on us. Of course that didn't go over well, and after each village realized that all their failed attacks inevitably were followed by a vicious counter-attack, they banded together and began to carve through our territories, going straight for the coastline. It took them a decade to get there, a decade of slaughter, they killed everyone, soldiers and civilians. As far as they were concerned we were rabid dogs that needed to be put down. By the time they reached the coast half our empire had been razed to the ground. And obviously when they reached the first temple they ran into the High Council and those with Jashin's Great Gift, and for seven years they tried to take the temple, but the Priests, the Elder, and all the believers who were there on pilgrimages were too well established and they cost the Villages countless men. So the Kages decided to seal those blessed with Jashin's Gift inside the temple and sink the island. Without leaders, the empire fell apart. The rest of the believers dispersed to remote places in the world and established sanctuaries so that they could practice in relative safety. But there have always been people searching for that temple"

"It's like Atlantis, Naru-chan it's something they tell new-bloods in the coast sanctuaries to get them interested but it doesn't actually exist." Waruku said, smiling slightly

Shitai scowled slightly and stubbed the smoldering butt into the table top, "Eh, don't listen to Waruku runt, he's just bitter that he looks like chick with a man's body"

"And yet I still get laid more than you"

"…..not okay dude, not okay"

Naruto laughed at their antics, a feeling of contentment spreading through his body as he sat there with a stomach full of warm food and two people that he could call friends.

* * *

Kiba Inuzuka was a naturally curious person. So when Naruto-baka came to the Academy and his scent had changed to the smell of dried blood he became slightly curious, when he saw Naruto hit the bullseye nine out of ten times in the morning kunai practice he became officially interested, and when he saw Naruto actually paying attention to Iruka-sensei he became downright alarmed. However, when he brought this up with Naruto-baka he had been told to quote "mind your own damn business dog-breath". This hostility surprised him, normally Naruto only snapped at Sasuke, and more curious than ever he decided to follow Naruto and watch him train to see if he got a tutor or something. He had followed Naruto to the woods but as soon as Naruto got behind the tree line he broke into a run and effectively disappeared, Kiba had searched for an hour but could only find faint traces of his scent. Discouraged and confused, Kiba had returned home.

* * *

TIMESKIP

"And team 7 will be made up of Naruto Uzukami, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto sighed and tuned out the rest of Iruka's speech. He had been hoping to get paired up with anyone but Sasuke, he didn't particularly like anyone in the class but even Kiba would have been a better team mate. And he got stuck with Sakura, he had lost his crush on her and didn't have anything against her; he thought she could be a decent shinobi if she ever stopped being a fan-girl, but she still had the habit of hitting him upside the head. That was something he was NOT looking forward to. He sighed once more and leaned back in his chair, fingering his rosary through his shirt.

Almost a year had passed since Naruto had stumbled upon the Temple and he had noticeably changed. He had become more quiet and reserved, Aijin had spent many hours teaching him to keep a tight hold on his emotions; and his sense of humor had become more twisted, courtesy of spending hours with Shitai and Waruku. His choice in clothing had changed as well; the bright oranges had been replaced by grays and blacks that hung loosely on him, hiding the muscles that had been developed from Hidan-sans intense training. Despite the fact he could have easily kept up with Sasuke in both academics and sparring he remained at the bottom of the class out of apathy. Apparently this apathy had come back to bite him in the ass.

"All right guys that's the last squad, come back here to meet your sensei's after lunch. But until then you're dismissed."

Naruto stood up and brushed his hair out of his eyes, before leaving the classroom behind and beginning to weave his way through Konoha's streets to get to Ichiraku. A few blocks out from the Academy a familiar voice stopped him.

"What do you look so down about, runt?"

He turned to see Shitai strolling up to him; a sack full of groceries slung over his chest like a messenger bag.

"Hey Shitai, what's up with the bag? I thought Aijin usually got supplies"

Shitai shrugged and lit a cigarette, "Yeah she does, but the High Priest from the Land of Bears is visiting so she and sempai had to stay there. Oh, that reminds me, you gotta stop by the temple sometime today to meet that guy."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, "Oh, why? Did I do something wrong?"

"Na, na you're fine. It's an old tradition for another temple's High Priest to meet the new converts. Kind of a trust thing, ya know? Anyway, why do you look so down Naru-chan?"

Naruto just sighed as Ichiraku came into view. Ignoring Shitai's questioning glance he sat down at one of the stools inside the stand.

"Hey Naruto, haven't seen you in a while. Where ya been?" Teuchi said jovially as his best customer took a seat.

"Sorry I haven't been around lately old man, but I've been training like crazy"

"Oh, getting strong I hope! And who's your friend?"

Shitai smiled widely "I'm Hatsumei, I've been helping Naruto with his training"

(_Hatsumei means 'invented')_

"Good ta meetcha Hatsumei, I'm Teuchi and I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you not to smoke that in here."

Shitai blinked owlishly, it had obviously been a while since anyone had told not to smoke indoors.

"Uh….OK, not a problem" He walked over to the entrance, and seemed to be having a very fierce internal battle with himself before hesitantly flicking the cigarette into the road.

"So what'll you have Naruto?" Teuchi asked still smiling broadly

"Uh, just a couple bowls of miso, I don't have much time before I gotta go back to the academy"

"Coming right up!" With a final wide smile, Teuchi disappeared through a back door into the kitchen.

Shitai retook his seat and huffed moodily at the loss of his nicotine. Naruto ignored the childish behavior and the two sat in silence until Teuchi had brought out the first bowl of ramen. Within minutes the bowl was empty.

"So now that you've demolished that poor bowl of soup are you gonna tell me why you look so down?"

"I got stuck with the two worst possible teammates!" Naruto burst out, glad to finally vent his displeasure

Shitai raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond the second bowl of ramen had been brought out and Naruto began to systematically destroy it.

"A third bowl please, old man!" Naruto said allowing a happy grin to appear on his face.

"Uh Naruto didn't you have to be back at the Academy, like ten minutes ago?"

"Nani?" Naruto shot a glance at the clock and felt his eyes widen in shock. "Oh no! I'm so screwed! I gotta go! I gotta go!" with that last cry he slammed several bills onto the counter and took off at top speed towards the Academy. Shitai chuckled at Naruto's loss of composure, pulled the newest bowl of ramen towards him, and began to eat.

* * *

Naruto slammed open the door to his classroom, hoping desperately that his team hadn't left yet. To his relief they hadn't; but to his annoyance it was almost a half an hour before their sensei poked his masked face through the door. He watched them for a minute, as if waiting for something, and then said shortly "meet me on the roof".

The warm afternoon breeze ruffled Naruto's hair as he observed his team's jounin sensei. He was dressed in dark blue pants and a long sleeved shirt of the same color with the standard jounin vest and shinobi sandals. His gravity defying silver hair appeared to be held up by his headband which doubled as a make shift eye-patch. Add a mask that covered his lower face and Naruto thought he looked rather ridiculous. But he was going to show the guy respect, to do any less would violate the sacred tenants.

"Let's see, why don't you introduce yourselves," the jounin said lazily "What you like, hate, your dreams and hobbies. Something like that."

"Why don't you introduce yourself first Sensei" Sakura asked

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake, I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream… I have a few hobbies."

"All we learned was his name." Sakura muttered.

"Now its your turn, you first blondie"

Naruto grumbled internally at the blondie remark before saying "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I like training and ramen. I dislike assholes and my dream is to become strong." After that he zoned out, he simply didn't care about whatever fan girl-y thing Sakura would no doubt say and whatever broody and undoubtedly 'cool' things Sasuke would say. He managed to pull himself out of his daze just in time to hear something about survival training at dawn at training ground seven. _'huh, maybe I should stop spacing out so much, I might miss something important next time' _ He stood up, ran a hand through his hair and set off towards the temple.

As he walked through the Konoha's slowly darkening streets, he looked around marveled at the innocence the village portrayed. It all looked so peaceful, children running in the streets, shinobi gathering at restaurants after an afternoon of training or missions, shopkeepers closing up for the night so they could go home to their family. It all looked so tranquil and it made him feel _so _damn sick, because he knew what would happen after the bars closed. The drunken civilians and shinobi would stumble onto the street, completely shit-faced and nine times out of ten they would either attempt to beat the shit out of him or burn down his apartment complex. Frowning slightly he stepped into the forest surrounding Konoha and took a deep breath of the air; for some reason the smell of the forest always calmed him. He took another deep breath and allowed the dark thoughts to slip away into the back of his mind. With a grin he set a brisk pace towards the guardian statue and within 20 minutes he was inside the temple.

* * *

_Timeline clarification: this happened at the same time Naruto was in class receiving team assignments_

The song had been echoing in his head ever since he had received his instructions, sending his already precarious grip on reality sliding down a few notches. He had been traversing the coast countries when all of a sudden; the cold presence of his Lord had ripped through his mind, causing a surge of bloodlust to flow through his veins and an image of Konoha's gates to become emblazoned in his mind. No words had been exchanged, but his Lord's the message had been more than clear.

He landed on a thick tree branch at the outskirts of the clearing, crouched and dug his unnaturally sharp nails into the bark; trying to ignore the words that had pounding in his head for the past two weeks. The song was primitive and repetitive, the pounding bass making the inside of his head feel like a prison

"_Kill_

_Kill_

_Kill_

_Kill"_

He grit his teeth and struggled to keep the angered growl from leaving his throat, it would not do to scare his prey away now that they were so close. There they were, he could smell their weakness like a rancid perfume, and he smiled as one walked directly under his perch, never noticing the predator. Still smiling he fell from the branch like an Olympic diver, both his hands outstretched and latching onto the man's head as soon as they got within range. The moment he was sure of his grip he twisted his hips brutally to the right causing his entire body to rotate and the unfortunate shinobi's head to be turned 180 degrees with a sharp crack. As the shinobi fell bonelessly to the ground, he completed his midair twist and landed on the balls of his feet and the tips of his fingers.

Quickly pulling a kunai from the dead man's leg holster, he set off through the trees, weaving through them as quiet as a shadow. _'Now then, where did the rest of my prey go?' _He sniffed, trying to catch the scent of their weakness, _'Ah, there you are' _he turned to face the clearing. The two remaining shinobi had obviously realized their companion was dead because they were in the middle of the clearing, each facing a different direction. '_But not back-to-back, they are going to regret that decision' _with a smile befitting a demon, he took off at his top speed, slicing through one of the shinobi's Achilles tendon and disappearing into the cover of the trees by the time the unharmed nin had turned around. He would have liked to play with his prey a little more but the blood lust was overwhelming him, causing his vision to be topped with a thin red film. He shook his head, he didn't want to give in just yet, he wanted to retain control long enough to at least finish the wounded prey. With a final, brutal shake of his head to regain marginal control, he took off at top speed once again, using his momentum to slam his kunai hilt deep into the wounded nin's heart. He smiled as he stared into the fast dying eyes and whispered, "I want to see the light leave your eyes" and he chuckled, the sound was like stones grinding together.

He was so focused on his task that he didn't notice the remaining nin pull a kunai from his holster. What he did notice was when said kunai became lodged in his neck, and with an annoyed growl he looked up into the terrified eyes of his assailant

"What kind of monster are you! Why aren't you fucking dead!" the nin demanded, panicked

An inhuman grin was his only answer and before he could register what was happening a hand was slammed flat-palmed into his chest and sent him flying across the clearing, colliding with a tree and falling to the ground. Instinctively he curled up in the fetal position, trying to ease the pain in his chest. He looked up and watched as his assailant sped towards him on all fours like an animal, before grabbing him by the hair and pulling him into a sitting position against the tree. The predator smiled and drug one black-colored claw down the side of his neck, pricking the skin over his pulse hard enough to draw blood. With another inhuman grin the man, if you could call this creature a man, began to speak:

"I am not a monster, whelp, I am merely a predator. And you, my unfortunate friend, are the prey."

The nin could feel the temperature drop several degrees as the insane back light in his attackers golden eyes suddenly disappeared. Something inhuman, something more ancient than words could describe seemed to gaze back at him from those eyes and a voice that was his attackers but also distinctly _wasn't_ came issuing from his throat.

"And I like to play with my prey before I eat it" the monstrous dual-tonal voice said before his head snapped towards the nin's throat.

Screams of anguish ripped through the air, sending birds flying from their perches and into the blue sky.

* * *

The man shook his head slowly as the red receded from his eyesight. With a tired grunt he stood from his crouched position and spit several times, trying to expel the coppery taste of blood from his mouth. Wiping blood from his lips, he looked around the clearing and surveyed the damage. It appeared that Kyoju-sha had only fed on the last victim; the other two were in the positions they had been in when he gave into his occupant. He would have to bury them; it would spoil the fun if they were discovered this early in the hunt. He hummed thoughtfully, glad that the accursed song had quieted enough that he could think rationally. Yes, he would have to bury the others if he wished to prolong the hunt, but there was nothing he could really to with the remains of his occupant's meal.

"Always leaves such a mess" he muttered as he dragged his first victim into the clearing to lie next to the others. With a final glance at the mess that had been a human being less than twenty minutes ago, he began to dig a grave deep enough to accommodate the two _intact_ corpses.

**Chapters 4,5, and 6 combined.**

**How do you think the revisions are going? Reviews are welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Me no own shit**

**Chapter 3**

**Revised: 8/25/12**

Naruto was not a stupid kid, despite what his actions during years previous suggested. So when he saw Shitai standing alone in the atrium looking nervous and missing his almost ever present cigarette he automatically knew something bad was going to happen.

"Hey, Shitai what's wrong? Why do you look so nervous? And where's the High Priest guy I was supposed to meet"

"H-him and H-hidan-sempai a-are out i-investigating –something. Uh, I g-got a l-lead o-on Saisho-no-Jiin. Y-you w-wanna g-go w-with me to i-investigate?"

"Really? What are they investigating? And why are you stuttering man?"

"S-sorry it's a n-nervous tic," Shitai took a deep breath and fished a crumpled cigarette pack from his pocket, and lit a cigarette shakily.

"All right, look runt I got bad news," he exhaled a smoke ring, blew the rest out his nose and continued, "You've been a convert long enough that a first pilgrimage is mandatory, and we were hoping that we could delay that for a while since you just made genin but there is evidence that Kyoju-sha is in the area and Hidan-sempai thinks its best that you get away until it's taken care of."

"Wait, wait I worked my ass off to be a genin, there's no way in hell I'm leaving now! And what in the hell is a Kyoju-sha? I mean why in the hell would you guys help me train just to drag me out and make me a goddamn missing-nin!?" Naruto glared at the helpless looking Shitai and had to actively hold himself back from throwing a punch.

Shitai sighed heavily, rolled his eyes at Naruto's reaction, and sat down on the stone floor, gesturing for Naruto to do the same. When they both were seated on the cold stone he began to speak in the studious voice that Naruto associated with his frequently given history and philosophy lectures.

"All right, I'm guessing that you never read the book Aijin gave you, _The Tetsugaku, _'cause if you did you wouldn't be asking about what Kyoju-sha is. OK so by now you've noticed that numbers play a decent sized role in our religion, hell I've pointed it out to you before, but to recap we have two numbers that are considered 'holy' in some respects. The number 17, the number of years it took for the empire to fall, is used in a lot of ceremonies; convergences, first sacrifices, etc and the number 3 which is the number of points in Jashin's symbol_, _the number of people necessary for a pilgrimage, and the number of gods. Jashin, the God of Domination, had two siblings Sukui, the Lady of Salvation, the god of the weak and Kyoju-sha, the Occupant, the god of the outcast. Jashin is the only one with followers to do his will, Sukui feels that using humans as servants is wrong, but often 'nudges' people to save others, or take pity on the weak. And then Kyoju-sha is the weakest of the Siblings, and doesn't have the power necessary to manifest himself into our world. Since he doesn't have the strength necessary to manifest himself he takes residence in a host body, like a parasite, and uses them as a conduit to increase his power. He is bitter towards his stronger siblings and as a result he usually hunts the newest converts of Jashin, which puts you as a prime target."

"Yeah, that's interesting and all Shitai," Naruto said sarcastically, "But where is the evidence that Kyoju-sha is around?"

"No need to be a sarcastic ass Naru-chan," Waruku entered the atrium from the hallway to the athenaeum and sat down heavily next to Shitai, and continued, "and one of your villages shinobi was just found dead. He was literally torn to pieces by human teeth, you really wanna risk disobeying Hidan-san and running into a sadistic bastard like that?"

"No I guess not, but I still don't wanna leave the village, I worked my ass off to pass the genin test!"

Shitai ignored this and nodded as if Naruto had agreed to something, "Since that's settled, I'll tell you about the lead I got on Saisho-no-Jiin"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest and point out that he never agreed to anything and nothing was settled. But before he could make a sound the soft, hollow voice of Jashin, the voice that had been haunting his dreams for months, spoke in the back of his mind, _'Listen to him, child. Follow them and learn, for they will teach you more than that pathetic excuse for a 'sensei' your village gave you'_

Naruto closed his mouth with an audible snap and shook his head once in an attempt to clear it. Shitai gave him a weird look before lighting another cigarette and beginning to speak again.

"So I've got a buddy out in the Land of Snow who's kinda like an archeologist. He goes around and searches for old ruins or temples from the time of the First Empire. Usually he turns up nothing, absolutely nothing. But yesterday I got a message from him; he's actually found an ancient temple, right on the coast of the country. So naturally I said that I'd come check it out and since you need to take your first pilgrimage and get a safe distance away from Kyoju-sha it kills a coupla birds with one stone."

"If I'm gonna have to leave, can I at least tell Old Man Hokage it's a religious thing so that he doesn't make me a missing nin?"

"No."

"What the hell! Why not?"

"Well, two reasons: 1. If you told him it was a religious thing he'd want to know what religion and pretty much every shinobi village in the known world has a policy of extermination when it comes to Jashinism. And two, since you're instructor hasn't passed you on the second part of the genin exam you're not technically a village shinobi and therefore not able to be declared a missing-nin."

Naruto stared at Waruku and Shitai in shocked silence as his mind struggled to absorb the large amount of information he had just heard. Could he really just leave the village behind? He didn't really like the people there, but he still had some weird attachment to the place. But... Shitai had never led him astray, unlike the people in the village, so he would trust him. Slowly a grin spread across his face

"When do we leave?"

* * *

Tenshi followed the twisting passage deeper into the maze that was the 'Snow Temple'. His original plan had been to wait for Shitai to arrive before venturing past the atrium, but curiosity had always been his weakness. The temple was, in itself an anomaly, an unknown, and he hated absolutely _hated_ unknowns.

He jammed a kunai into the wall to mark his place and turned another corner. The red light was definitely getting brighter; he could see orbs of the stuff pulsing in the ice. The red lights were another anomaly. Unlike the light in other temples it did not appear to originate from a statue or shrine, it seemed to emanate from the air itself tainting everything with a bloody tint. But that wasn't what bothered him most. The lights, which his crew had given the rather unimaginative name of 'Blood Lights', emitted an energy that seemed alive; in fact when they had entered the temple he had originally thought that other people were inside.

Tenshi tapped his temple with one finger to knock his thoughts back in line and stopped at the beginning of the next hallway. At the end of the hall was a door (carved from translucent ice like everything else in the building) and the Blood Light had thickened near it, to such a consistency that the floor itself was completely obscured. His pulse quickened, this is what he had been searching for; something big, something amazing was behind that door. Not one to waste time, he set off towards the door at a pace that was not quite a run, but not quite a walk either.

Moving through the Blood Lights was like trudging through a low field of static electricity, he could feel the hairs of his legs standing on end and his skin was prickling unpleasantly. He put his hands on the door and the feeling spread throughout his body, intensifying tenfold. One solid push was all it took to send the door in a fluid slide out of the way.

Tenshi reached a hand into the inside of his thick coat to grab his notebook and cursed when he remembered that he had left it in the atrium. He snorted, disgusted with himself, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He began to walk along the edge of the room and started to mentally take notes: _'the structure could easily be described as an upside down ziggurat with a staircase leading to the bottom. Each level seems to feature a different Jashinist symbol carved into it, the blood seal (faith), the scepter (power), the scythe (death) and several I don't recognize. The source of the 'Blood Lights' seems to be 4 statues on the second to last level. The statues appear to be of owls and the light is emanating from their eyes and open beaks. The last level is… _

The bottom level was covered in a thick layer of frost, completely obscuring the view of whatever was underneath. But he could feel the power of whatever was inside pulsing against his feet and up through his body. Tenshi dropped to his knees and pulled out his last remaining kunai. After a brief and rather one-sided argument with himself about whether or not he should fetch his dig crew, he began to scrape off the frost, starting at the end closest to the stairs and working upwards.

His hand went slack, and his kunai clattered to the ice. He whistled through his teeth and stood up slowly, never once taking his eyes off his newly-unveiled discovery. After a moment a smile spread across his face.

* * *

The man tightened his grip on the branch, his fingernails splitting through the bark and digging into the wood underneath. He felt a low growl start in his chest and slowly work its way into his throat. He shook his head violently and struggled to remain in control. This was bad, very, very bad.

Kyoju-sha's influence had become much too prevalent. The influence had started out small, a few minor physical changes, hair and eye color mostly. But as the frequency of the blood lusts had increased, he had lost more and more of himself. He couldn't remember how to speak or what his name was anymore, his thoughts had become erratic and he couldn't hold memory for more than an hour. And something about his body seemed…off, it felt as if his entire body had been stretched past normal proportions. His body moved in the strangest ways now, he felt like a contortionist he had seen, in what he was sure was another life.

But he had come out here for something, right? Surely he had, he wasn't crazy enough to come this close to the village for no reason. Well, he hoped he wasn't that crazy, but Kyoju-sha had turned him practically feral, no reason he couldn't have turned him crazy.

Wait. There was the reason; his prey was about two miles out from the village and moving away at a slow pace. He crouched on the branch, his muscles bunching like a steel spring but before he took off something else caught his attention. His prey was being chased by four people that reeked of the village. HIS prey was being chased; oh no, no, no, no this would not do, not at all. He was barely aware of his upper lip curving into a canine like snarl, all he was aware of was that someone was trying to steal his kill and that could not be tolerated. A snarl tore from his throat and he took off towards the usurpers, intent on destroying them.

* * *

The departure from the village had been going relatively well. Naruto had gone back to his apartment and packed his tattered backpack with clothes and all the cup ramen in his cupboard. Once packed, he had slipped past a sleeping Kotetsu and went to meet Shitai and Waruku at the statue. They had set off towards the border of Fire country, weaving through trees and making small talk until Waruku had said:

"Guys, we have people following us. We gotta move, fast."

Shitai stopped, and looked around slowly, trying to sense out their pursuer's chakra. There they were, four people of jounin level at least, closing fast. He cursed under his breath and flicked his smoldering cigarette away into the trees.

"Naruto, hop on my back. There's at least four jounin after us and we HAVE to go!"

Naruto nodded and climbed onto Shitai's back. The moment he was secure, they took off through the trees so fast that the surroundings blurred into a mess of greens.

Naruto's mind was a jumble of panicked thoughts. What would happen if their pursuers caught up with them? He had never seen Waruku or Shitai in a real fight, what if they lost? What would happen to him? Would they take him back to the village for questioning, or would they just execute him? They had a policy of extermination after all. Naruto was shaken out of his thoughts as Shitai came to an abrupt halt. He looked around and saw that Waruku was facing back they way they had come, "Something's wrong, they've stopped moving…wait," His body stiffened, "you guys go on ahead, I have to go back there"

"What! why?" Shitai said surprised

"Shitai, do you trust me?" Waruku asked, turning and tilting his head so his hair fell to the side and he could lock eyes with Shitai

"Yeah….but….why would you go back there?" Shitai asked, sounding more confused than ever.

"You're just gonna have to trust me on this, Shitai."

Shitai stood there, confused and conflicted, before striding up to Waruku and grabbing him in a tight hug. "You better come back all right, or I'm gonna track you down and beat the shit outta you."

Waruku chuckled, and when Shitai released his hold, he turned and took off into the trees. Shitai stared after him for a minute before turning and saying:

"Hold on tight, Naruto."

He took off into the trees, moving faster than ever.

* * *

Waruku weaved quickly through the trees. It was good that Shitai trusted him enough not to put up a big fight, each second was precious. That last chakra signature he felt was more than creepy, it was _unnatural_. And it had moved so fast, practically coming out of nowhere and cutting off their four pursuers. He had sworn to Aijin-hime that he would protect Naruto from Kyoju-sha and that was what he was gonna do. He slowed and dropped to the forest floor. Moving as quietly as possible, he approached the edge of the clearing. He stopped and crouched, low to the ground, as he saw Kyoju-sha's container. The container crouched over the body of one of Konoha's jounin, body bent at strange angles, resembling a human spider crouched over a fly. As he watched, the container looked up and his golden eyes locked on him, freezing him in place.

* * *

"Hokage-sama."

The elderly Sarutobi looked up from his desk, worry clearly written on his aged face

"Yes?" he asked, hoping desperately that they had found Naruto

"We've lost contact with the recovery team."

Any hopes that Sarutobi had were dashed and leaned his head against his clasped hands and sighed heavily, "I don't know what to do Kakashi. We don't know who the kidnappers are; we don't know what they want. I just don't know what to do."

Kakashi frowned behind his mask, "Well, I do have a theory about who it could be, although it is unlikely."

The Sandaime looked up so fast that he cricked his neck, "Who do you think it could be?"

"Well after the Kyuubi attack, I helped with the orphanages and there was this young kid with blue hair that lost his parents in the attack. From what I hear he ran away from the orphanage when he was 12, but I could have sworn I saw him around the village lately. It's possible that he might have found out about Naruto and abducted him in some form of revenge," Kakashi noticed the hopeful looked spreading across the Hokage's face, "I wouldn't get your hopes up though Hokage-sama, he was a civilian kid; according to the recovery team the kidnappers were moving at shinobi-like speeds."

"What was the child's name, Kakashi?"

"Hokage-sama, I really wouldn't ge—"

"What was his name Kakashi!" the Hokage interjected, losing patience.

"I don't remember his last name, but his first name was Shitai."

* * *

'_Shit!'_ Waruku pulled his head back quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid Kyoju-sha's claws. They cut through his hair and left four diagonal scratches across his face, all of them miraculously missing his eyes. He leapt backwards, flipping in mid-air and landing on a tree branch, shaking his head rapidly in an attempt to keep blood from getting into his eyes. He launched himself off the branch and pulled out a kunai as he did so. He flew over the head of Kyoju-sha and flung the kunai at his back, before tucking and rolling into a crouched position at the end of the clearing. He turned and just managed to get his hands up to catch the foot that was aimed at his head, the speed of his opponent was incredible. He twisted the foot sharply; trying to break the ankle, but Kyoju-sha twisted with the movement and brought his free foot around and into Waruku's jaw, knocking him free and sending Waruku sprawling onto the forest floor.

Waruku used his hands to propel himself to a standing position and twisted his body to avoid a clawed swipe at his midsection, pistoning his fist forward into Kyoju-sha's jaw as he did so. The feral man stumbled and Waruku pivoted on one foot, pulled out a kunai while ducking under another swipe, and jammed the knife into the back of Kyoju-sha's leg. Continuing with his pivot, he released the kunai and slammed his elbow into his opponent, smiling as he heard a rib break. He leapt backwards away from Kyoju-sha and skidded to a halt near the edge of the clearing, watching his opponent warily.

The feral man growled and fell to a knee. He groped blindly at the back of his leg until he found the knife. He wrapped a hand around the knife and growled again, the growl grew in volume and intensity as he ripped the kunai from his leg and threw it at Waruku. The kunai moved at such a speed that Waruku, even though he saw it coming, was not able to dodge it. A piercing pain, starting in his chest, radiated through his body. He coughed and a cloud of blood exploded from him lips. _'I think that hit something important,'_ another cough racked his body and he wiped fresh blood off his chin with a shaking hand, 'S_hit,' _ Kyoju-sha sprung at him, claws outstretched and Waruku stepped back, stumbled over his feet and fell to the ground. The container flew over his head and he scrambled away on his heels and elbows, mind working overtime. He had to find some way to kill this feral asshole, he could feel himself dying, but he'd be damned if he didn't take Kyoju-sha's container with him. He plunged a hand blindly into his robe, searching for a kunai and felt the rough paper of an exploding tag brush against his finger tips. Desperately he seized onto the tag and ripped it from his pocket, simultaneously pulling his rosary over his head and off his neck. Normally an idea like this would never occur to him, but he had made a promise and his vision was already fading fast, so he had to do what was necessary. He put the tag into the palm of his head and wrapped his rosary around his hand so that Jashin's symbol was resting over the tag in his palm. He struggled to his feet (ignoring how his vision blackened and swung wildly) and spread his arms wide as Kyoju-sha rushed him. He was hit in the midsection, and he felt claws dig into his stomach but it all seemed so far away. He pushed chakra into the tag to activate it and wrapped his arms tightly around the container, he had to hold him still for at least five seconds and all his remaining strength went into this task.

As he closed his eyes for the final time, his mind travelled back to a conversation he had with Shitai when they were both about 13. They had been lying on the floor of the training room, exhausted after one of Hidan's harsh training sessions, when Shitai had propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at him:

"_Hey Waruku, do you ever worry about dying?"_

"_Not really, why? Do you?"_

"_No, but w-well…uh…I-I w-worry a-about you d-dying"_

_Waruku chuckled, "You're stuttering, Shitai."_

"_What? No I'm not!"_

"_And you're blushing. How cute."_

"_Dammit Waruku, I'm being serious!"_

"_Ok, Ok sorry. But you don't need to worry about it."_

"_Really? Why not?"_

"_The way you fight, you'll be dead long before I am."_

"_Ok…hey…wait…not funny asshole!"_

Waruku smiled weakly _'Jashin, I was so wrong.'_

White light swallowed his world.

* * *

**Chapters 7,8, and 9 combined**

**How are the revisions going? Reviews are appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Me no own shit.**

**Chapter 10**

When the explosion ripped through the trees behind them, they did not stop running.

When Shitai began to grieve silently, his shoulders shaking from his tears, they did not stop.

When Naruto's own tears dried onto his cheeks and he was overcome with a dreadful numbness that was only interrupted by bouts of intense guilt over Waruku dying for him, they did not stop.

When the stars faded out from the sky and the sunrise painted the world in orange hues, they did not stop.

Only when Shitai collapsed from exhaustion and Naruto fell off his shoulders, did they stop running. Naruto pulled himself to his feet and did his best to drag Shitai into the shade of one of the trees. As he did so, he noticed that Shitai's eyes were red and swollen; and his still drying tears had left tracks down his face. Naruto felt guilt gnawing at him. It was his fault Shitai was crying and running himself to the point of collapse; and it was his fault that Waruku, one of the few people he could call a friend, was dead. He must have voiced some of his thoughts out loud because Shitai stirred, cracked open one bloodshot brown eye and tiredly muttered "It's not your fault, runt" before his head fell back and he slipped into exhausted sleep once again.

The guilt eased slightly at the thought that Shitai didn't blame him, but it didn't disappear and Naruto decided to do something to keep his mind occupied. They had passed by a stream a mile back so he decided to go fishing, since all their food had been in Waruku's pack. This thought caused the guilt to swell again, and he shook his head rapidly and tried to ignore it. He pulled a kunai from the holster on Shitai's leg and used it to sharpen a long and thin stick he had found nearby. After a few experimental jabs with his new spear, he set it over his shoulder and took off towards the stream.

The stream was beautiful, in the middle of a grove, with clear, light blue water that cut a curving swath through the vivid green grass. Tall and majestic trees seemed to stand guard about six feet out from the bank of the stream. Even from where he was standing in the shade of the trees, he could see fish swimming in the clear waters, scales flashing in the morning sun. The scene was so beautiful that for a moment it took his breath away and all thought ceased. He stripped down to his boxers and rosary and placed his clothes in the shade, far enough away from the stream to keep them dry, before wading into the knee high water. He hefted his homemade spear into a ready position and stood as still as possible, waiting. Several minutes passed until:

There!

With reflexes honed by game after game of kunai dodge ball with Hidan-sensei, he plunged the spear downwards and impaled a fish. He smiled slightly and a feeling of accomplishment briefly numbed the feeling of guilt that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his chest. He pulled the fish off the spear and threw it onto the bank of the stream. He resumed his waiting position and after an hour and a half there was a pile of half-a–dozen fish drying out on the bank. He stepped out of the stream and shook his legs slightly to shake the water off and began working on the problem of getting the fish back to their camp. He glanced around the grove and his eyes locked on his shirt as an idea popped into his head. He walked over to his pile of clothes, and pulled on his pants and shoes before grabbing his shirt and taking it back to the bank. He laid it out on the ground and piled the fish onto it, before tying the shirt and its cargo onto the end of his spear. After testing the knot to make sure it would hold, he nodded in satisfaction, hefted the spear and its package over his shoulder and set off towards the camp.

Shitai was still slumped against a tree, dead asleep, when Naruto arrived back at camp. Naruto picked the kunai up off the ground from where he had dropped it and began to scale and gut the fish in an attempt to keep his mind occupied. But his mind still wandered back into painful memories; the first time he had met Waruku, the dinners they would all eat at the red light barbeque restaurant after training, all the times he and Shitai had attempted to find out Waruku's gender, the first time Waruku had called him 'otouto'. Naruto felt tears running down his cheeks and did nothing to stop them, and he made up his mind. Waruku had done so much for him, the least Naruto could do was build him a grave marker and offer a prayer for him to Jashin-sama.

The tears seemed to have momentarily purged the guilty feeling in his chest and, now determined, Naruto began to gather stones to make a small alter. After stacking the stones into a small pile, he began to search for a round, flat stone to put at the top and serve as a headstone. After nearly twenty minutes of searching he found the perfect stone, it was light grey, oval in shape, roughly a foot long and three inches thick. He meticulously carved Waruku's name and Jashin's holy symbol deep into the stone and placed it on top of the alter. As soon as he was sure that the stone would not fall, he dropped to his knees, gripped his rosary tightly and bowed his head.

'_Jashin-sama, I don't exactly know what ritual or prayers to offer when someone dies, and Aijin-hime said that you look down on suicide, because it's giving up and that's a sign of weakness. But I beg of you to spare Waruku from the consequences of his actions, because he was a good man and a good friend. I know you said that you had uses for me so I beg of you to do me this one thing and I will follow whatever plan you have in store for me…'_

Naruto stopped praying, his eyes were still closed but something felt different, something felt…off.

"Child…" an unmistakably cold, hollow voice, the sound of wind whistling through a crypt, spoke from behind Naruto and he whipped around. Shitai was floating several inches off the ground, body ram-rod straight and his head cocked at an unnatural angle. His formerly blue hair was a shimmering iridescent purple/black color and his eyes were emitting ethereal white-blue light.

"Child, you offer me your services as if they were yours to give. But they are NOT! You are mine to command, you have been mine from the day of your convergence, and you will be mine until the day I call you into the Abyss to join me! However, you're willing cooperation will make things go more smoothly, so I will spare Waruku my wrath on one condition."

"Anything!" Naruto said quickly

A smile twisted Shitai's face into something predatory and a laugh echoed from his mouth and seemed to reverberate in the air, "I love it when they say that. One of my most faithful has been asleep, waiting for the day he can help restore my empire to its former glory. When the time comes you will listen to the silent one and awaken him," He paused and stared at Naruto, grin falling from his face and a look of deadly seriousness replaced it, "…Do not fail me child, even an Elder is expendable."

With that the ethereal light faded from Shitai's eyes, and his hair returned to blue. He fell bonelessly to the ground, and Naruto rushed over to him. Miraculously he was still asleep and despite his shocked state, Naruto chuckled, only Shitai could sleep through something that big.

Suddenly the weight of everything that had happened today seemed to flood into his body, and he felt exhaustion weighing down his eyelids like bricks. He leaned back against the tree nearest him, closed his eyes and promptly passed out.

* * *

When Naruto woke up, he became aware of three things without even having to open his eyes.

One) the bark of the tree was digging uncomfortably against his bare back

Two) he could hear the crackle of a fire and smell the cooking of fish and cigarette smoke.

Three) Shitai was singing softly:

"_Yesterday I lost my closest friend_

_Yesterday I wanted time to end_

_I wonder if my heart will ever mend_

_I just let you slip away"_

There was a brief pause and the sound of a lighter being ignited. Another pause and then the sound of him exhaling

"_Maybe I'll never see you smile again_

_Maybe you thought that it was all pretend_

_All these words I could never say_

_I just let them slip away."_

Naruto opened his eyes and observed the scene. It was either night or very early morning, and the sky twinkled with stars. Shitai was sitting on his coat in front of a roaring fire, shadows doing a strange and erratic dance over his face, smoking and whittling something with a small pearl handled pocketknife.

"You're awake," Shitai observed calmly. He gestured vaguely to the spit over the fire, "breakfast will be ready soon."

Naruto stood, walked over to the fireside, and plopped down on the ground next to him. "What time is it?" he asked sleepily

"About four," he noticed Naruto eyeing the thing in his hands, "I saw the shrine you made, so I decided to carve a flute to leave, ya know as a tribute, Waruku liked music."

"Look Shitai, I'm sorry. It's my fau—"

"It is NOT your fault, runt" Shitai cut him off, "if anything it was my fault, I shouldn't have let him go, I should have put a stop to his crazy plan."

Naruto opened his mouth to offer some comforting words, but Shitai stood and cut him off, "food's ready, take care of it while I finish, will you?"

Naruto, hesitated, still debating about whether or not he should offer any words of comfort, but at the sharp look Shitai gave him he turned and began to pull the fish off the spit.

Shitai sat down quietly, and flicked his still smoldering cigarette butt into the fire.

"I looked around and got my bearings while you were asleep. We're only about three days away from the Oak Temple, and that's if we walk."

Naruto nodded to confirm he had heard and Shitai reached over and grabbed a couple of fish.

"I tried to clean your shirt, by the way. It still reeks like fish though; we'll have to get you a new one."

Naruto nodded once more, and they lapsed into a sad silence. This silence lasted for the majority of the day, from when they extinguished the fire, and when Naruto climbed onto Shitai's back and they took off so fast that it took Naruto's breath away.

The next two days were unremarkable, only running and eating, taking a couple hours each day to sleep. It was monotonous, and Naruto fell into a daze, which was abruptly interrupted around noon on the third day of they're journey.

They had stopped in front of a tree that looked almost identical to the trees around it; it had the same bark, and the same leaves. Completely identical, except for a thin, almost unnoticeable line at about waist height.

"Hop down Naruto" Shitai said, his voice hoarse from almost three days of disuse

Naruto complied and Shitai walked forward and pushed on the bark just above the black line. The bark swung inward and upward out of sight, and a latch clicked. He climbed in and gestured for Naruto to climb in after him.

Naruto climbed in and looked around. The inside of the tree had been hollowed out and was completely bare except for a small circle carved into the wood opposite the entrance. Shitai pulled the bark back into place and the inside became pitch black.

*CLICK*

*CLICK*

Shitai succeeded in igniting his lighter and the space became illuminated with a flickering orange light. With one hand he shook his rosary from his wrist and pressed the symbol into the carved out space. With a harsh grinding sound and a jolt the compartment began to move.

"Holy Crap! What's happening?" Naruto asked, panicking slightly.

"We're moving" Shitai deadpanned.

"Well no shit we're moving, but how? Seriously what the hell?"

Shitai smiled for the first time in days and said:

"Ah, I remember, I freaked out the first time I rode this thing too. Calm down runt, it's just a lift, we're perfectly safe."

The lighter snapped shut and they continued grinding downward in darkness.

Five minutes later the tree lift shuddered to a halt. Shitai pushed it open and stepped out into the Oak Temple's atrium. The atrium's floor was almost a solid, twisting mat of tree roots and the walls and ceiling were the same. In the middle of the atrium there was a large, winding, and undoubtedly old angel oak. On the trunk of the tree there was a carving of Jashin, looking almost exactly as Naruto had seen him; but instead of armor he was clad in loose fitting robes.

A man wearing robes the same color as the tree's bark, was sitting cross-legged on one of the ground level branches and puffing on a small pipe.

"High Priest Hoshuha-sama, we have come on a pilgrimage and ask that you grant us use of your temple." Shitai spoke formally and stiffly as if reading from a script, freshly lit cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Bah, there's no need for such formalities, come closer Shitai-kun let me get a look at you" The High Priest's voice sounded hoarse and wispy at the same time. It was an odd sound and Naruto's interest was piqued. He followed Shitai up to the branch where the Priest sat and tried to study him as much as he could without seeming rude.

The man's deep hood cast shadow over the upper half of his face, but intelligent sliver eyes were still visible. And Naruto found his gaze being drawn to the Priest's neck. The man's neck had a long and slightly jagged scar on it, stretching from one side to the other and another scar went diagonally across the right corner of his mouth.

His mouth twisted into a scowl as silver eyes locked onto the cigarette in Shitai's hand and the scar distorted the look even further.

"Still carrying on with that awful habit, are you?" he asked, sounding irritated. Shitai said nothing, but took another deep drag on his cigarette. Hoshuha's silver eyes surveyed the atrium, briefly locking onto Naruto and then moving on.

"Are you really here on a pilgrimage, Shitai-kun? Or is this another one of your hunts for Saisho no Jiin."

"I'm actually on a pilgrimage this time. This is Naruto, he's the newest convert of our temple, and it's his first pilgrimage."

Hoshuha seemed to ignore this and continued to look around the atrium, absently puffing on his pipe

"The rule of three's still applies, yes? Then where is the third?"

Shitai frowned, "He…died on the way here…fighting Kyoju-sha," he said sadly

"hhhmmm…so you need a new traveler, one that could protect you from Kyoju-sha"

"No, Kyoju-sha is DEAD!," he spat the words out vehemently, "Waruku died to defeat him, he is dead, DEAD, do you fucking understand me!"

Silver eye's narrowed and Hoshuha jabbed his pipe at him angrily: "show some respect boy, I am a High Priest. Just because we are on friendly terms does not mean you can show such blatant disrespect. And do not allow your grief to blind you to facts, Kyoju-sha is a god, a weak god, but a god none-the-less. The container may be destroyed, but the spirit lives on."

Shitai said nothing, but glowered angrily at Hoshuha, and Naruto could practically feel the anger radiating off him. Seemingly unaffected, the Priest stood from the branch and held out a hand, "give me your rosaries, I will complete my part of the ritual as you complete yours. We will talk more afterwards."

For a moment Shitai looked like he would refuse, but then he growled slightly and wrenched the rosary from his wrist. Naruto removed his rosary, albeit more peacefully than Shitai, and placed it into the priests waiting hand.

They had just finished their three hour ritual when the priest returned, placing the rosaries over their heads. the rosaries looked almost the same as they had when they had been taken, except that one of the beads to the right of the symbol had changed color into the color of tree bark.

Hoshuha noticed Naruto fingering the bead curiously, and answered his unasked question, "the bead will return to its original color when the pilgrimage ends, as of now it is simply a marker to show that you have gone to one temple of three."

He turned to Shitai, "you have thought about what I said, yes?"

"Yeah…and I'm sorry for freaking, its…well tough, ya know? If Kyoju-sha isn't dead, that would mean that he died for nothing and that's…that's fucked up ya know?"

"He died to protect the people he cared about; some would say that that is one of the more honorable ways to die."

"There is no honor death, regardless of how you die" Shitai muttered darkly

"hhhmmm…perhaps. Follow me"

"Why?"

"You need another traveler to complete the rule of three's. I have the perfect one."

Hoshuha turned and began to walk around to the other side of the tree. On the other side of the tree there was a narrow winding staircase made of roots, starting at the base of the tree and winding downwards into shadows. They descended the staircase and found themselves at the end of a narrow hallway, lit by dim ethereal light.

"So who exactly is this person?" Naruto asked curiously

"What? Oh, I suppose I should give you some information, yes?"

"Well his name is Sairento, and he showed up at the temple shortly after Hidan-san left. This was several months after he attacked his village, and Sairento had been hired by the survivors to track Hidan down and assassinate him. See Sairento came from a small but vicious assassin family from the southern coast called the Black Thorne. Nasty group of heathens, ritualistically cut the vocal chords of their members, to make them quieter, you see. I heard that they were recently wiped out by a nearby ninja village, but I'm getting off topic, yes? By the time Sairento found the temple, Hidan had left and he attacked me, mistaking me for him. He nearly beat me, and that was years and years ago when I was in my prime, gave me these scars," he gestured to the scars with his pipe and continued his story, "came this close to taking my head off, but I managed to trap him with the Curse Technique. But back then I was constantly experimenting with old, almost forgotten, Jashinist techniques and decided to try one out on him. It was called Curse Technique: Undead Servant, but I messed up one the hand signs and the result was rather…unique."

"So you're giving us a zombie?" Shitai asked flatly, "You're kidding right?"

"Zombie is a rather crude word, he is undead yes, but he's not some mindless drone. He retained his intelligence, skills, chakra, and techniques after reanimation; although that may be from me botching the hand signs, since none of the texts mention something like that happening. But again, I am getting off topic, yes? The point of the matter is you need, what will essentially be a bodyguard, and Sairento is perfect for the position. He can't feel pain, is bound to follow orders, and is strong enough to have nearly defeated a High Priest."

Hoshuha turned right into a short hallway and walked up to the archway at the end. The room beyond the archway was covered in shadows and the dim ethereal light only illuminated a foot into the room. He clapped once, and the shadows began to writhe. Several strings of shadows broke off from the mass and began to pool at the edge of the light. A shape, incredibly pale and skeletally thin, began to rise up from the pool of shadows.

The man that had risen from the floor stood at over six feet and towered over Shitai. His body was so thin it appeared to be a skeleton with a thin layer of skin stretched over it. He was dressed in a form fitting western style black three piece suit with thin grey pinstripes; the black tie he wore had Jashin's symbol emblazoned on it in grey. His eyes were completely black with only an ethereal white-blue ring marking the place where his iris would begin, and his face was framed by shoulder length black hair that was parted in the middle.

"Now then," Hoshuha muttered "Naruto is the newest convert, so he is the one in need of protection, yes? Sairento hold out your hand, Naruto grab his hand."

"What? No way! I'm not grabbing a dead guy's hand" Naruto exclaimed

Hoshuha ignored his outburst and seized his hand, pulling it against the dead man's hand and intertwining their fingers. His lips began to move silently and a warm feeling began to tingle in Naruto's palm. Thin shadows emerged from Sairento's fingertips and began to wrap around their clasped hands, rotating slowly, inches off their skin. Hoshuha's lips stopped moving and the shadows stopped rotating. Suddenly they all surged towards the back of Naruto's hand and he screamed in pain. It felt like someone had placed a white hot brand against the back of his hand. The world darkened and he had to fight to remain conscious. Then just as suddenly as the pain had started, it stopped and Naruto yanked his hand back, cradling it protectively against his chest. He was vaguely aware of Shitai shouting at Hoshuha, demanding to know what the hell he had just done; but his focus was on the back of his hand where a small black thorn appeared to have been burned into his skin.

"What the hell did you just do to him?" Shitai shouted, enraged.

Hoshuha puffed his pipe absently and studied the back of his own hand, "Yes, the transference appears to have worked," he murmured, and then raised his voice, "I did nothing to harm the boy Shitai-kun, I simply transferred control of Sairento over to him."

"Transferred control? What the hell does that mean!?"

"It means that Sairento is bound to obey and protect the boy, now would you calm down; you're panicking more than the boy is"

"Wait…wait…you mean that I'm in control of him now?" Naruto asked, pointing a shaking hand at Sairento. Neither the Priest nor Shitai responded but Sairento gave a single slow nod, his strange eyes never leaving Naruto's face.

* * *

"Now then, I assume you'll need supplies. Warmer clothing, weapons, food and the like?" Hoshuha said, clamping his pipe back between his teeth.

"Y-yeah how'd you know?" Shitai asked, sounding surprised.

"Word of the newly found temple in Frost country has traveled fast. That is where you're headed, yes?"

"Yeah"

"Well then, follow me and I'll give you all the supplies you need."

Shitai looked slightly indignant, "you don't have to GIVE them to us we can pay, ya know."

"Don't worry about it; the temple has fallen off the pilgrim's path for most, so our store room has gotten a bit…crowded. Besides, Naruto has neither a shirt nor weapons; I would be remiss as a Priest to let a pilgrim travel in conditions like that. Come, come follow me"

He led them out into the hall and down another set of winding stairs. At the bottom of the staircase there was a plain wooden door. Hoshuha pushed open the door and Naruto (who had previously been looking between the thorn shaped burn on his hand and his new 'bodyguard') ceased all movement, jaw hanging open at what he saw.

The store room was huge, with long walls lined with tables bending under the weight of kunai holsters and senbon carriers packed full to bursting. Vicious looking weapons made of red metal were stacked under tables and leaned against walls. Headbands from almost every ninja village on the continent were resting on shelves organized by village. Flak jackets and uniforms hung under the shelf of their respective village and trunks full of village specific accessories and weapons took up the floor space underneath.

'_Whoa, there are enough weapons in here to fight a war'_ Naruto thought. He pressed a finger lightly against the blade of a short sword leaned up against the wall next to him and hissed as the sharp red metal cut through his skin, _'and win it too.'_

Hoshuha glanced back at them,

"Feel free to help yourself to anything you need, storage scrolls are in the unmarked chest in the far corner."

Shitai lit a cigarette and grinned, "I think I'm starting to remember why you're my favorite Priest Hoshuha-sama."

Hoshuha hummed neutrally and puffed on his pipe. Amused, they watched Naruto run back and forth, shoving equipment into his pack and showing his more childish side that had mostly been beaten out during Hidan's harsh training.

"Hey Shitai, how do I look?" Naruto asked excitedly, spinning around and showing off his new outfit.

Naruto was dressed in a black thermal shirt underneath a deep grey flak jacket and a pair of black shinobi pants. A kunai holster adorned each leg and his shins were wrapped in burnt orange tape and covered by shin guards. His sandals, which had been falling apart; had been replaced by a new pair in black, matching the rest of his outfit.

Shitai blew smoke out his nose and studied Naruto. He wouldn't have chosen burnt orange for the tape color but the runt seemed oddly attached to orange, so he wasn't going to complain (out loud). He smiled and said simply "you look pretty good runt".

Naruto beamed ecstatically.

* * *

After their visit to the store room they decided to stay at the temple for three days to rest before heading out again. During this time Shitai decided to teach Naruto how to climb a tree with chakra. He taught him the way shinobi had been taught for generations, by giving a brief explanation and then forcing him to practice until he reached the top of the tree.

It took seven trees, a handful of tantrums, and countless bruises and scrapes from falling; but by noon of the second day Shitai was confident that Naruto could make his way up a tree and dodge the occasional kunai without falling. The remainder of the time there was used to rest up and Naruto did his best to get used to his new bodyguard. Pragmatically he knew that having someone strong enough to protect him from Kyoju-sha was a good idea; but it was still off-putting to have a guard that made no noise and seemed to materialize and de-materialize into shadows.

On the third day they set out for the Land of Frost, packs laden down with food and storage scrolls. Shitai had estimated that it would only take a couple of days to reach the temple his friend had found, since it was right on the south-western coast and just inside the border. They chatted amiably as they traveled, stopping occasionally to drink from a stream.

The weather got progressively colder as they got closer to the coast and the landscape became flatter, dense forest trees gave way to pine trees and green grass turned to snow covered ground. Naruto didn't like the cold weather, but it didn't seem to deter Shitai; in fact it seemed to encourage him to move faster.

* * *

Tenshi had become obsessed with the Snow Temple. Every waking moment was consumed by thoughts of it, studying it, trying to learn from it. They had only found two rooms so far but he was convinced that there were more. He was currently in the second room, notebook in hand, and taking notes on the four stone statues that were emitting the strange red light.

"Excuse me, Tenshi-san"

Tenshi looked up from the statue he was studying but didn't stand, "yes, what is it?," he said irritably.

"Uh, three people have shown up at the campsite, they say that you sent for them."

"Ah, thank you," he stood up and slid the notebook into his coat, "I will see to them, keep the dig crew on task please."

"Yes, of course sir."

Tenshi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and set off towards the campsite, whistling a happy tune through his teeth. He trotted down the maze of hallways and stepped into the atrium where his dig crew had set up camp.

"Shitai, I didn't think you would arrive for several more days."

Shitai jumped, surprised by the sudden noise and dropped his cigarette. He muttered a curse and picked it up from the ground before saying, "yeah, well we picked up the pace, ya know?"

"Of course, I should have known how excited you would be. Now, who are the other two with you?"

"Oh," He gestured to the blonde boy beside him, "this is Naruto our temple newest convert. And the other is Sairento, his bodyguard."

"Sairento? Hoshuha-sama's zombie?"

"He says that zombie is a crude word, but yeah"

"I've heard about him, would you allow me to study him? It would be a great opportunity"

"Yeah, sure but first show us what you found. Your message said it was a major discovery and I've been dying to see it."

"Ah, of course. Follow me, you're going to love this."

Tenshi turned and began to lead them through the maze of corridors talking all the while:

"As you've seen Snow temple is lit by this red light which we have taken to calling Blood Lights. The name started out from the dig crew describing the color of the light but from what we've found is that the light actually may be fuelled by blood. You see, the entrance requires a blood sacrifice to open, which is a testament to how bloodthirsty ancient Jashinists were. If we hadn't propped open the door one of you would have, well anyway… Some temple's still use blood sacrifices of course, but those only use a small amount of blood; this temple requires a body's worth of blood, a human sacrifice basically."

He pushed open the thick double doors to the second room and pointed to the statues:

"You see those owl statues? The light comes from there and what our theory is, is that there are tubes underneath the ice and whenever a sacrifice is made, the blood travels through the tubes and into the statues, fueling the light. That doesn't explain how the light has continued to work when it appears we are the first ones here in centuries but…as I said it is only a theory. But that is not what I wanted to show you. Those symbols carved onto each level, we're still not certain what the full translation is but what we've gotten so far is: FAITH GIVES POWER OVER DEATH. Which we originally thought was about Jashin's Great Gift, but when we scratched away the frost from the bottom level we discovered something very different. You know of course, that even those with Jashin's Great Gift will die without nutrition, but,"

Tenshi paused and gestured for them to come down and look into the ice at the bottom, they looked down and Shitai cursed and Naruto's jaw dropped. There was a man underneath the translucent ice, dressed in the same black armor with skeletal markings that Naruto had seen in his vision. His white hair was braided and his eyes were closed but his breath was fogging up the underside of the ice. Tenshi smiled widely at their reactions and pushed his glasses up his nose before saying,

"A journal we found in the atrium says that this man's name is Kenmeina Fukuro. He has been buried in this ice without food or water for centuries and somehow he is still alive. So far we haven't been able to free him from the ice, chipping it and trying to melt it didn't work, but when we do we will be able to learn so much. And if we're right about his age, he'll likely know the location of Saisho-no-Jiin, provided it exists of course."

**ok so the revisions are finished and i have started on a new chapter, so thanks for waiting for me. and would be an ass if i asked for fanart? probably...nevermind.**

**back on track, new chapter on the way and i thank you for sticking with me**

**thanks,**

**pathetic-really**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Me No Own Shit**

**Chapter 5**

It was not happy, not at all. Its new container was weak, nearly torn apart after only a day of inhabitation. A cough ripped through its chest, and blood and a tooth rocketed out of its mouth. No this would not do, it would have to find a new host; this dog person wouldn't hold up for much longer. However its main priority was to find those Jashinist who had escaped it. It had been so close, so close to killing the pest that had dared to attack it and then it had been blown to bits. This simply would not do. But they were too far away to catch now, they had disappeared into the trees and their scent had vanished. It would have to find a new host and wait for them to return. But it needed a strong one, where could it find a host strong enough to support it for weeks or even months?

It creeped along the wall of the village like a spider, its strong nails digging in and keeping it from falling. If anyone were to look up they would not have recognized the person that used to be Hana Inuzuka. Her nice brown hair had been knocked loose from its ponytail by the force of Kyoju-sha's entry and had turned an iridescent teal. Her formerly kind brown eyes had changed to a predatory gold with diamond shaped pupils. Her body had lengthened and her limbs moved freely in her joints, achieving a kind of mobility that was both disturbing and oddly graceful. The only part of her that was recognizable was her facial tattoos, which had stretched and distorted as her face had sharpened into something animalistic.

The container sniffed the air, trying to sift through the smell of all the weak and find a good container. Wait…there was one. Without hesitation it took off, moving with the speed and grace of a seasoned hunter. One good leap propelled it from the wall and it landed on the roof of a small apartment building. Inside one the apartments was one of the strongest scents he had ever smelled. And it was familiar as well. It took a deep sniff and recognition snapped into place. It was the white haired ANBU that had been poking around the blast sight.

Opening the window was easy, just sliding one fingernail under the sill and breaking the locking mechanism. Kyoju-sha, The Occupant, The Lesser of Three, smiled, distorting Hana's face even farther, and slipped through the window.

* * *

The trees were tall, slender and dead; stretching into a blank sky with their barren branches moving in a breeze that Naruto couldn't feel. He walked with no clear destination in mind, the ground crunching hollowly under his feet. He continued to walk for a long time. Or maybe it was a short time, he couldn't tell; dreams had a strange way of distorting time. Eventually he reached a clearing and in the clearing there was a crater. Sitting in the crater, cross-legged and identical to the last time Naruto had seen him, was Waruku.

"Hello outoto" Waruku said, his soft feminine voice breaking the silence of the clearing. He rose to his feet and received Naruto's embrace without another word. The blonde held tighter to the back of white kimono, unwilling to let go in case the androgynous male disappeared.

"He's not dead, Naruto"

Naruto released him and stepped back.

"What? Who's not dead?" he asked, confused

"Kyoju-sha"

"What are you talking about Waruku? He's dead, you killed him. YOU DIED TO KILL HIM! HE HAS TO BE DEAD! HE HA-"

Waruku pressed two fingers to Naruto's lips to silence him and began to speak:

"Little brother have you ever heard the expression 'you can rinse the surface but the stain remains'? It's like that. You can kill the body but the soul remains intact. But," he took his fingers away from Naruto's lips and tapped them twice into the blonde's chest," you have the power to kill him. You have a power inside that could burn villages, and destroy the world as we know it. All you have to do is unlock it."

"But I don't know what you're talking about" The blonde said frustrated. He had had this dream many times since they had reached the Snow Temple and every time Waruku was just as vague as before.

"Jashin-sama has chosen you for great things," Waruku said, cutting him off just as he had in dreams previous, "the villages you know are an empire made of dust and Jashin-sama will blow them away and scatter them back into the Abyss. You are to be a key player in this."

"Waruku, goddamn-it I don't know what power you're talking about! How the hell do you expect me to do anything when you won't tell me what you mean?"

"What killed Shitai's parents?" without waiting for an answer Waruku pushed an open palm against Naruto's stomach.

* * *

He awoke with a start, bolting upright in his sleeping bag. Blue eyes darted around and a tan chest rose and fell rapidly. Sweat stuck his blonde hair to his forehead and the back of his neck, his rosary stuck to his chest. Shakily he climbed from his sleeping bag, shivering slightly as the cold air hit his flushed skin. Pulling on his clothes in the dark was difficult but not unmanageable, and he opened the flap of his tent while pulling on his last sandal.

Camp was set up just outside the face of the iceberg that hid the entrance to the Snow Temple. The camp was relatively small, with the only occupied tents being his, Shitai's and Tenshi's which were set up around a fire pit. The rest of the tents were abandoned, with the dig crew being sent back to their respective Temples by Tenshi. Naruto walked up to the fire pit and sat down on one of the logs next to Shitai. His blue haired companion was staring into the embers, cigarette burning between his lips, and the northern lights playing across his face.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, letting the smoke flow out with his words.

Naruto shook his head mutely and took a good look at his unofficial older brother.

He hadn't been sleeping well since Waruku had died and weeks of insomnia had left dark bags under his eyes, giving him with an uncanny resemblance to a raccoon. He had become withdrawn, silent, and it almost seemed like he was going on autopilot most times. The only times he seemed to be his old self was when something so shocking happened that he could momentarily forget what he had lost.

Sometimes when Naruto couldn't sleep he often found himself wondering if there had been more to those two's relationship then he had previously thought; but he never voiced these thoughts afraid of incurring Shitai's temper, which had been much closer to the surface these days.

"Has Tenshi made any progress with Fukuro?" Naruto asked, after several minutes of silence.

Shitai blew out a cloud of smoke and ran a hand through his hair, "I doubt it, he's working on it now but…" he shrugged.

"And where's Sairento? I haven't seen him all day."

"How would I know, he's your zombie. Maybe he's feeding the snow wolves, I saw him doing it a coupla days back."

Naruto said nothing, it was obvious that Shitai wasn't feeling talkative and tilted his head back to stare at the sky. The northern lights really were amazing, an array of colors twisting through the sky. It was really peaceful, serene. And as most peaceful moments of the blonde's life it was destined to be interrupted.

A frantic looking Tenshi burst out of the Snow Temple's entrance, face flushed and glasses askew "Guys! You need to come see this."

"What's going on" Shitai asked, interest creeping into his voice.

"Sairento's got the ice open somehow! Come quick!"

"How'd he do that?" the blue-haired man was definitely interested now.

"I have no idea! I walked in and he was standing in the tomb, the ice was gone!"

Tenshi turned and began to run back into the Temple with the others in tow. It seemed impossible, they had been trying for weeks to get through the ice and Sairento had done in one night, without any warning. As Naruto ran towards the burial chamber Jashin's words came back to him _'When the time comes you will listen to the silent one and awaken him' _he shivered and ran faster.

* * *

When they reached the burial chamber Sairento was indeed standing in the freshly opened tomb. He was staring down at the comatose Fukuro and his lips were moving silently and rapidly. Cautiously they approached the opened tomb.

"Sairento, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, forgetting momentarily that the zombie was mute. Obviously the zombie couldn't respond but he made a 'come here' gesture with one skeletal hand, not taking his eyes off Fukuro. The blonde approached and the moment he was in reach the skeletal hand shot out and caught him in a vice-like grip. Before he could grasp what was happening he was pulled up against Sairento's chest, breathing in the faint smell of formaldehyde and hearing a scratchy nearly non-existent voice whisper in his ear.

"Chakra has kept him asleep, it will also awaken him."

* * *

A/N: OK so obviously this is a lot shorter than the other chapters, but keep in mind the others chapters are actually three combined into one. So sorry about the long absence but what can I say? Writers block is a bitch. Reviews are welcome and I'd be really happy to get feedback, either on this chapter or the revisions.

Thanks,

pathetic-really


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: me no own shit**

**Chapter 6**

**HEY IM aLIVE! SORRY I WAS GONE FOR SO LONG, BUT MY COMPUTER BROKE AND I HAD TO SAVE UP FOR A NEW ONE...THATS A LIE! I ACTUALLY HAD TO FAKE A COUPLE DEATHS TO HELP MY BEST FRIEND AVOID HIS CRAZY EX. ANYWAY...i'M BACK!**

And then, just as suddenly as he had been pulled up against Sairento's chest he had been released and was staring up into a cold, sardonic face. Ethereal blue eyes blinked slowly and a cruel, mocking smile began to spread. The deathly cold and powerful aura that Naruto associated with Jashin began to roll in slow waves from Sairento's body, and he was dimly aware of the others in the burial chamber dropping to their knees and bowing.

"It is good to be back in this place, I can manifest myself more strongly in old shrines" the dead man's lips moved soundlessly and Jashin's cold voice reverberated in their heads.

"Now then boy, up until now my presence has repressed the Kyuubi, I deemed it unwise for him to speak to you in the past. However now we are in need of him. Place your hand on my faithful"

"T-The Kyuubi?"

"Yes boy, you are its container. A jinchuuriki., one of the greatest weapons in the modern age."

Naruto didn't move. He didn't think he could. Shock was a mild term for what he was feeling. The Kyuubi the demon that had nearly destroyed Konoha was inside him. _Inside him!_ No wonder the villagers had hated him. How could the Old Man not have told him? Why did—his train of thought was cut off as a fist slammed into his jaw. There was a burst of pain and Naruto went sprawling onto his back on the cold ice.

Jashin was staring dispassionately at Naruto, and slowly licked the blonde's blood from his knuckles. He dipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a kunai.

"Child, I have waited hundreds of years for my new age to dawn. My empire is within reach and I will not have you standing in the way. Now you will either do as I say or I will cut you open and find another one to set events in motion."

Naruto sat up and spat out the blood that had been pooling in his mouth. He had endured years of hatred because of this demon. If Jashin could get rid of it, then he wouldn't be complaining. "What do I need to do?" he asked, climbing back to his feet.

A smile, more frightening than it should have been, stretched on Jahin's borrowed lips.

"Put your hand on the body. And brace yourself. Your about to have something ripped out of you." A sadistic smile spread across his face.

The blonde pulled in a deep steadying breath and placed his hand on the white haired man's chest. He tensed as he felt a skeletal hand wrap around his waist and come to rest on his stomach. Then, suddenly an intense burning worse than anything Naruto had felt began. He looked down and saw, to his horror that Jashin's fingers were disappearing into his stomach. He panicked and tried to pull away but the hand around his waist held his fast. He felt the hand, which had now almost completely disappeared inside him, clench and after a moment it begin to retract. The pain intensified and right before he blacked out he saw a red-orange tail of chakra being pulled from him.

He was standing in a large room, made of red stone. Jashin was lounging on his throne, a small smile on his lips.

"What happened?" Naruto asked

"You're dead" was the simple reply.

"What happened to the Kyuubi?'

Jashin's smile widened and he pointed a finger upwards. Naruto followed the finger and laughed. A small cage was hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier. Stuffed inside the cage, looking cramped and unbelievably pissed, was the Kyuubi.

"He's going to be serving as an ornament until I have use for him."

"So what happens now?"

Jashin pointed his still outstretched finger at him and he was flung backward.

He sat up with a violent start. His breath came in gasps, made visible by the cold temperature. He was back in the tomb.

"Naruto, you're alive!"

"y-yeah, lucky me."

Shitai dropped to a knee next to him, wrapping the blonde in a tight hug.

A new voice broke into the tender moment, "We need to begin moving. Speaking to the Elder is our top priority."

Naruto looked around. Tenshi was sitting cross-legged on the ground scribbling furiously in his notebook. Sairento's corpse was lying in the open tomb, it appeared that he had served his purpose and had been discarded. Standing near the entrance to the room was Fukuro, his armor glinting in the low light. His braided hair brushed his shoulder blades. A large, blood red katana was slung across his back. The sword was about the same height as Fukuro and looked battle-worn but still razor sharp. His silver eyes locked with Naruto's blue and he nodded respectfully.

"Naruto-san, we must be on our way. Please make yourself ready."

"um…okay" Naruto responded, taken aback by the honorific.

TWO DAYS LATER

It was late, a silver sliver of moon hung in the ink black sky. A small fire crackled in the middle of their camp. Tenshi and Shitai were sleeping, leaving Naruto and Fukuro on watch. Fukuro was sitting on a log near the fire, slowly polishing his katana. It was a quiet night; the only sounds were the fire and the babble of a distant stream.

"So…what's your story?" Naruto asked, eyeing Fukuro curiously. The ancient man was a mystery. He didn't talk about his past, Jashin's old empire or Saisho no Jiin. He spoke rarely and was always respectful.

Fukuro laughed and cast a glance at him, his silver eyes glinting like mercury in the light.

"Naruto-san, my story isn't interesting, you would be bored. I am not that deep, I have no deeper motivations than my faith. Like the majority of Jashinists I don't like thinking, dealing or talking about my past; besides when you're immortal your life before, and time in general holds little importance for you. I gave up my pathetic existence to serve Jashin-sama and it was the best choice I have ever made. Our faith, our devotion is what's important. We're bound by faith to serve Jashin and with the exception of very few things we can live as we see fit."

That was the most Naruto had ever heard him say at one time and he was determined to keep him talking.

"So you only live for Jashin? You don't have any hobbies or anything? Nothing you enjoy?"

Fukuro appeared to think about it, eyes staring reflectively in the fire.

"My life before was…unpleasant. I lived in a time of constant war; I watched my family, my friends, my village, all destroyed around me. I was a slave, part of the spoils of war, taken from the cooling ashes of my home. I was tortured, beaten, and starved. I was the epitome of pathetic, unworthy of any grace or mercy. But Jashin-sama granted me mercy anyway. If not for Him I would have died, a hundred times over. I live for Him because he is the reason I am alive."

He shook himself out of his reverie and looked up, smiling, "And I enjoy killing, if that counts as a hobby."

One week later

"Fukuro-san, Jashin-sama told me you would be arriving." The silky voice drifted across the large room. The speaker was a young man, looking about 19 or 20. His hair fell at a slant over one eye and he slouched in his throne, chin resting on his hand. This was the Elder, the chosen figurehead of Jashinism, Itami Eruda. His body was covered with scars and tribal looking tattoos and he projected an aura of violence, barely restrained and waiting to burst forth. He was dressed in a simple black, long sleeved shirt and shinobi pants. Jashin's holy symbol, purple, was tattooed in the middle of his forehead.

Fukuro dropped into a low bow, eyes respectfully downturned, "Elder-san, it is time."

That was all that needed to be said. Itami's face lit up, a smile revealing sharpened teeth. He straightened up in his throne, "Really? After years and years of waiting has it finally come?"

Fukuro nodded and Itami laughed joyously, "Good, good. I will give you all the resources you need for your endeavors."

"Thank you Elder-san I will begin immediately."

"Do not thank me, Fukuro-san you are helping me bring to fruition a lifetime of waiting. And you," he pointed a finger at Naruto, "our lord tells me that you are his emissary."

Naruto straightened up a little, feeling proud.

"But, you appear to be nothing special. Any one of the uninitiated here could defeat you"

The blonde deflated a bit but managed to keep his face impassive.

"You can go back to your temple," Itami said to Shitai without taking his eyes of Naruto," You however, Naruto-kun, you will stay here. You will be my apprentice and I am going to turn you into a warrior worthy of Jashin-sama's glory."

3 HOURS LATER

Two pairs of pitch black and glittering eyes stared at Naruto from across the training room. One pair was small and intelligent. The other pair was slightly overlarge and crazed looking. These eyes belonged to Itami's other apprentice and his pet raven. Sadly, the more intelligent eyes belonged to the bird.

The owner of the raven was strange, even by Jashinist standards. He was slightly taller than Naruto (not that this was unusual, most people were taller than him) and had a thin, but muscled body. His face was thin and angular, with his crazed chibi like eyes and mop of slate grey hair that framed his face and fell into his eyes. His body thrummed like a high tension wire and on his shoulder, looking completely unaffected by the vibration, was a raven. The bird cawed and the boy who, as far as Naruto knew had no given name other than Raven, twitched his head violently.

"I can't" he said, his voice, shaking like his body, came out in a child-like whine. His head continued to twitch towards the raven perched on his shoulder, "Priest-sama wants me to GAH! train him…" the bird cawed and nipped at his earlobe, causing it to bleed, "I can't it! would be against the GAH! Tenants!"

"Hey…uh, you alright?" Naruto called cautiously. The kid's eyes snapped onto him, he smiled shakily, "Yeah, fine, fine hahaha. Nevermore just won't shut up."

"Nevermore?"

"yeah Nevermore, it's the raven name…I got it from the…GAH! never mind. How's your hand-to-GAH!-hand?"

"It's good" Naruto responded confidently. If he had read the situation correctly the kid would attack him soon, in the name of training of course. If he could survive an onslaught from Hidan, he could surely win against a psycho kid.

The kid's shaky smile turned positively frightening as he chuckled, "Good, that means GAH! I don't have to go easy on you." He held up one skeletal hand to the bird on his shoulder and Nevermore promptly began to regurgitate. The bird's beak opened impossibly wide and a red sword handle began to slide out.

"Wha-? How? That's not even possible, that makes no sense!" Naruto protested, quickly going through a mental checklist to see if he had possibly been placed under a genjutsu at anytime.

"The world's a lot more fun when you GAH! don't try and make it make sense."

With that Raven flicked his wrist and the sword broke into segments held together by a single thin line of metal and flew towards Naruto.

Naruto jumped to the side, cursing as the blade tore through his shirt, missing his skin by a hair. He heard a flutter of wings and ducked instinctively. Nevermore dive-bombed through the space he had occupied less than a second ago, razor sharp claws extended in front of him. Suddenly Raven was within a foot of him, thrusting the sword towards his ribs. Naruto twisted to avoid it and slapped the black-haired boy's hand away. It wasn't a particularly effective hit but it distracted him enough for Naruto to land a hard punch on his stomach, followed by a knee to the head and he bent over to catch his breath. Raven sprawled on his back, the sword clattering off into a corner. Before Naruto had time to relish this small victory a sharp pain tore through his cheek. He cursed and took a swing at the bird who had just scratched him. While he was distracted Raven had regained his feet and slammed his fist into Naruto's face before starting an onslaught of punches and kicks. The blonde took a step back to regain his footing and then began to swing in kind. Neither boy attempted any sort of dodging, Raven was too crazy to care that his nose was broken and gushing blood. In fact the grey-haired boy was laughing joyously and actually leaning **into** some of Naruto's hits. Naruto, on the other hand, was ignoring the pain, determined to prove to Itami that he had the potential and the will to be Jashin's emissary. Soon the floor around them was coated in blood and as Raven took a step back (Naruto had landed a strong right hook on his already broken nose) he slipped on the blood, falling into Naruto and sending them both tumbling into the ground. They both lay there on the ground panting; and when it became apparent that neither were going to get up and resume fighting, Nevermore flew down and settled on Raven's stomach, cocking his head inquisitively and cawing.

Raven laughed, a much more stable sound then before, (Naruto found himself wondering if maybe getting his ass beat was therapeutic to him) and lightly ran his hand over Nevermore's head and down his back. He thrust his unoccupied hand into the small space between their battered bodies and said, "I'm Raven, GAH! you're fun."

Naruto took the proffered hand and gave it a quick shake, smiling, "I'm Naruto, You're fun too. Even if you are completely insane."

The two boys turned to look at each other and then smiled. Raven may have been smiling for a multitude of reasons (the fact he was enjoying the pain, a new person to play with, the fact he had bacon in his quarters, Raven liked bacon) but Naruto was smiling because he had the feeling that he had just made another good friend.


	7. announcement

Hey everyone, pathetic-really here. My access to the internet got fucked up real bad, which is why I haven't been active lately. During that time I took a look back over _The Obsidian Temple _and well, I'm really happy you guys like it so much. It was my first fanfic and honestly I didn't expect it to get ten reviews let alone the 41 it's got currently. But as I was looking back I realized something. This is not the fic I envisioned. My original idea was a strictly Hidan/Naruto mentor relationship (although Romance Robert's idea of a HidaNaru fic was pretty intriguing. I personally love the pairing; I can never find many fics about them though.) And well look what happened to the fic. Don't get me wrong I still love it but well, I don't know where to go with it. I mean I have the major plot points mapped but I have no idea how to get there. Honestly I have no idea how to continue it, so regretfully I have to announce that this story is going on permanent hiatus. However, I will map out the major plot points for you, I hate it when authors just leave the story and don't offer some sort of closure.

* * *

A year after Naruto's first training session with Raven he emerges from Itami's apprenticeship as a hardened teen. He can kill without remorse and has even acquired the zeal for killing many Jashinists have. He is one step from ascending to priesthood and achieving Jashin's Great Gift

Itami gathers all the Jashinists at his temple. Naruto has a brief happy reunion with Shitai, Aijin and Hidan. They need slaves to raise Saisho no Jiin from the cold depths of the ocean. They plan to attack Kusakagure and wipe out half its population and taking the rest captive. Naruto is promised that if he does well in the attack he will become immortal.

The Jashinists attack Kusakagure, Naruto leading the assault as is his right as the Elder's apprentice. They cut a bloody swath through the village and attack the Kusakage. After a fierce battle Naruto kills the Kusakage, taking his head to present to Itami.

The rest of the shinobi world is shocked by Kusa's downfall. They convene in the Land of Iron to discuss their plan of action. As they do this the Jashinists convene once more and complete an ancient ritual that steals the life force from each prisoner and converts it to chakra. They use this chakra to raise the First Temple. Once inside Itami gathers the High Priests and grants Naruto Jashin's Great Gift. He is the first one to be granted such a gift in the Temple for centuries. They uncover an armory full of skeleton armor and weaponry. They begin their plan of attack on Konoha.

The attack begins. Jashin-sama sets the Kyuubi loose on Konoha to rampage once again. Naruto returns to his home village for the first time in years, this time not as an outcast but as Jashin's newest priest. He starts off in the direction of the Hokage's tower but is intercepted by Kyoju-sha, who is still wearing Mizuki's skin. A fierce battle ensues. After a long while Naruto finally succeeds in severing his head from his shoulders, effectively disabling him. After recuperating for a moment he continues on his way to face the Hokage.

He arrives at the Hokage's office to find the Elder already engaged in combat with the old man. Itami is obviously winning, and upon seeing Naruto he steps aside and allows the boy to take up the fight. The Hokage is dumbstruck, he barely recognized the boy. Naruto refuses to answer any of his questions and, after using his immortality to get close enough, stabs the man through the chest with a kunai. The man collapses and Itami begins to clap. Naruto takes the old man's hat from its discarded position on the desk and dons it. Together he and Itami look out the window at the village below. Kyuubi rages near the gates, Jashinists run rabid in the streets, and the entire village burns, painting the sky orange and black. As they look out Itami contemplates how much of the world there is left to conquer. Naruto smiles grimly and announces that he will see the shinobi world burn before the year's end.

* * *

And that's how the story ends. I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys. The story I intended will be out soon under the name _Following the Unholy Priest_. Please check it out, it would mean a lot to me. In the meantime, if your looking for a good Jashinist Naruto fic check out the story **Jashin's Devout **by **othersideofthemirror**.

Goodbye,

Pathetic-really


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